What are the Ultrasound findings of Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors?
When a solid mass is found to be contiguous with a peripheral nerve, one can confidently offer the diagnosis of a peripheral nerve sheath tumor. Given the high resolution of an Ultrasound, it is often used to definitively demonstrate peripheral nerve continuity with a mass.
On an Ultrasound, a Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors is usually well defined, round/ovoid, and hypoechoic with scattered low-level internal echoes. While increased through transmission may initially lead one to mistake a Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors for a simple cyst, the presence of flow on color or power Doppler imaging is diagnostic of a solid mass.
Finally, focal transducer pressure over the lesion will often elicit radicular symptoms, increasing the diagnostic accuracy of the Ultrasound exam.
