If you’re experiencing symptoms related to disorders of your peripheral nerves — the nerves found outside your brain and spinal canal — MRI-neurography, or magnetic resonance neurography (MRN), is an advanced technique useful during the diagnostic process. MRN also plays an important role during the surgery used to treat and correct conditions related to peripheral neuropathy.
At Anthony Echo MD, with two offices in Houston, Texas, our board-certified surgeon serves patients from all over the United States seeking treatment for peripheral nerve disorders because of his expertise in microsurgery and peripheral nerve surgery.
Dr. Echo believes that understanding the procedures used to ease the pain and discomfort of peripheral nerve disorders empowers you and helps put your mind at ease during your procedure. To that end, we’ve together this informative guide about peripheral nerve surgery, MRN, and how its role during your treatment.
Your peripheral nerves play an important role in movement and sensation, linking your brain and spinal cord to other parts of your body. These nerves transmit sensory information, such as touch, pain, and temperature, and control your muscles so you can make voluntary movements like eating, speaking, and playing sports.
Peripheral nerve disorders, injuries, and conditions interrupt messages to and from your peripheral nerves and brain, resulting in a change or loss of sensation, weakness, or paralysis. Symptoms depend on the peripheral nerve(s) involved and the type and location of peripheral nerve problem.
Peripheral nerve surgery helps increase function and reduce pain and disability in patients who’ve been diagnosed with a peripheral nerve disorder or who have an acute nerve injury. It can treat different peripheral nerve problems and other nerve-related conditions, including:
During your peripheral nerve surgery, Dr. Echo reroutes some of your healthy nerves to take over the function of those impacted by your injury, disease, or condition.
While nerves can sometimes be seen using traditional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it’s unreliable and generally isn’t used in diagnosing or treating nerve conditions. Magnetic resonance neurography, or MRI-neurography, uses advanced imaging technology and special software to create high-resolution images of major peripheral nerves.
The MRN procedure is similar to a traditional MRI, and this noninvasive technique helps us diagnose injuries, diseases, and conditions of the peripheral nerves. Through the high-resolution imaging it provides, Dr. Echo can precisely locate and view in detail peripheral nerve lesions and problems that would have been inaccessible through traditional MRI.
MRN not only helps Dr. Echo accurately diagnose peripheral nerve conditions, it also plays an important role in peripheral nerve surgery. MRN allows Dr. Echo to create a preoperative roadmap to use during the surgery.
The images MRN provides gives Dr. Echo the precise location and extent of your nerve injury, disease, or condition. It also visualizes signs of secondary muscle denervation, or muscle weakness and atrophy, related to damaged motor neurons and other associated findings, like nerve stumps, foreign bodies, or bone involvement.
With this information in hand, Dr. Echo can determine the most appropriate surgical approach to best repair the affected nerves and branches, so you have a more successful outcome. MRN also allows Dr. Echo to evaluate your postoperative progress, helping him catch any issues early and customize a post-surgery treatment plan to meet your needs.
For more information about MRN or for help with a peripheral nerve condition, contact surgical expert Anthony Echo, MD, in Houston, Texas, by phone, or request a consultation online at your convenience.
