Ultrasonography study of the suprascapular nerve

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the assessability of the suprascapular nerve (SSN) by ultrasonography in cadavers and healthy volunteers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: With ultrasonography guidance, needles were placed at origin of the SSN of four cadavers and evaluated by dissection. Two blinded radiologists performed 60 ultrasonography scans in 30 healthy volunteers to study the entire SSN at five anatomical landmarks. RESULTS: Dissection revealed that the needles were correctly located at the nerve's origin. There were no significant differences between the two radiologists' measurements of nerve size and depth. The interobserver correlation for the description of the nerve at the five predefined anatomical landmarks was very good (ICC=0.7-1). CONCLUSION: Five anatomical landmarks were used to analyze the SSN with ultrasonography. Its supraclavicular portion was easier to describe than its scapular portion; a segment of the SSN was not visible between these two portions.