Quantification of intramuscular blood flow with power Doppler ultrasonography in patients with small fiber neuropathy (P5. 080)

摘要: ObjectiveTo quantify small vessel intra-muscular blood flow using power-doppler ultrasonography in patients with small fiber neuropathy (SFN). BackgroundPatients with SFN often complain of cramps and myalgia and show reductions in intramuscular perivascular nerves in proportion to the intra-epidermal nerve fiber density. In healthy controls, intramuscular blood flow increases after exercise. We hypothesized that in SFN patients, intramuscular blood flow would not increase following exercise. Design/MethodsWe used a previously described protocol to quantify post-contraction hyperemia in intramuscular vessels using power Doppler. We imaged 4 patients with symptoms of SFN and reduced intraepidermal nerve fiber density (ages 27–63 years) and were able to quantify the intramuscular blood flow in the anterior forearm flexors in 3 patients and tibialis anterior in all. We compared results to historic controls …