Ultrasonographic assessment of superficial fibular nerve branches

Peripheral nerve injury is a possible complication of orthopaedic surgery and the correct diagnosis of patient’s condition, after the intervention, is crucial for the specific rehabilitation program (Bade et al., 2010). The use of ultrasound (US) to assess nerves is well known and extensively shown in literature by many studies (Padua et al., 2013). High-frequency US is routinely applied for the evaluation of the main and largest nerve structures in limbs, like fibular nerve (Coraci et al., 2015). In traumatic lesions, the nerves usual present hypoechoic texture and increase dimension (Coraci et al., 2015). The added value of this technique, however, is not limited to the large nerves, because it is able to visualize and assess even the single terminal branches and depict their pathological modifications.