High-frequency Ultrasound Examination In The Normal Adult Nuchal Musculoskeletal System

Objective: To identify the sonographic characteristics of the normal adult nuchalmusculoskeletal system and clarify high-frequency ultrasound scanning method of thenormal adult nuchal musculoskeletal system.Methods: High-frequency ultrasound was used to check30normal adult nuchals cases(15male cases and15female cases). The adjacent relation and the sonographiccharacteristics of muscles, bones, nerves,blood vessels, ligaments of adult normal nuchalwere described and recorded.Measuring the cross-sectional area of the normal adultoccipital nerve which entered into the semispinalis capitis muscle:using the paired samplest-test analysis grouped by left and right side to judge the differences of the cross-sectionalarea between the left and right side; Using independent samples t-test analysis grouped bymale and female to judge the differences of the cross-sectional area between the male andfemale. Measuring the diameter and peak velocity of deep cervical artery and using thecomputer statistical software to obtain mean (x) and standard deviation (s), according towhich calculating velocity95%confidence interval (95%CI)of diameter and peak velocityof deep cervical artery. Explorating the two different traveling cases of occipital artery inthe nuchal and calculating the cumulative cases of each type.Results: In this study,multiple sections of normal adult nuchal sonogram was gottenusing bone,muscle,nerves,blood vessels and ligament as the anatomic landmarks;Describing nuchal muscle sonographic features of vertebral occipital muscles whichconstituted the suboccipital triangle and the adjacent relationship between the vertebralartery and the occipital artery at the first to second cervical vertebral level; Clarifying thehierarchical relationships of transversospinales muscles at the third to fifth cervicalcervical level; Summarizing the adjacent relationship of splenius muscle at the sixth toseventh cervical cervical level; Specifying the traveling characteristics of greater occipitalnerve and measuring the cross-sectional area of greater occipital nerve which entered intothe semispinalis capitis muscle; Expliciting Sonographic characteristics of the dorsalscapular nerve which accompanied with dorsal scapular artery after passing throughmiddle scalene muscle in the back; Describing sonographic features of the accessory nervewhich traveled between the levator scapulae muscle and the trapezius muscle after passing through the trailing edge of Sternocleidomastoid muscle; Defining traveling features ofdeep cervical artery and occipital artery, to measure the diameter and peak velocity of deepcervical artery and record the cumulative number of two different traveling types ofoccipital nerve;Clearing sonographic characteristics of nuchal ligament and introducingmuscle fibers sources of the various parts of nuchal ligament.Statistical analysis showedthat: there was significant differences of the cross-sectional area between the males andfemales (P<0.05),while there was no significant differences of cross-sectional areabetween the left and right side (P>0.05). The mean±standard(x±s) deviation of diameterof deep cervical artery was1.51±0.15mm, the mean±standard(x±s) deviation of peakvelocity of deep cervical artery was2.84±0.48m/s; Occipital artery traveled betweenthe spleniuscapitis muscle and longissimus capitis musle(46cases) accounting for77%,occipital artery travled traveled between longissimus capitis muscle and obliquescapitis superior muscle(14cases) accounting for23%.Conclusion: High-frequency ultrasound as a preferred noninvasive examination can beused for normal adults nuchal and it is worthy of clinical.