-
Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2021Among the tools useful for the management of neuropathic pain, ultrasound presents several advantages, shown by the literature. We assessed the scientific production... (Review)
Review
Among the tools useful for the management of neuropathic pain, ultrasound presents several advantages, shown by the literature. We assessed the scientific production about neuropathic pain and ultrasound from different points of view: general topics, journal categories, geographical origin and lexical analysis. We searched papers on PubMed using the Medical Subject Headings "neuropathic pain" AND "ultrasound". We collected data about the journals where the papers were published, the country of the affiliation of the first author. For the lexical analysis, we evaluated the presence of selected words in the papers, and we built a graph representing the connections among words and papers. The papers were focused on the use of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool and guide for the therapy, assessing its application in different diseases such as Morton's neuroma and piriformis syndrome. The most represented journal category was anesthesia while the most common country the United States of America. The lexical analysis confirmed the importance of ultrasound for diagnosis of specific disease and treatment of pain. The described approaches provide a multiperspective evaluation of the literature and may support the interpretation of the information contained by the papers.
PubMed: 34574046
DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11091705 -
The Journal of Manual & Manipulative... Feb 2020: Morton's neuroma (MN) is a neuralgia involving the common plantar digital nerves of the metatarsal region. Evidence-based treatment options for MN are sparse, and...
: Morton's neuroma (MN) is a neuralgia involving the common plantar digital nerves of the metatarsal region. Evidence-based treatment options for MN are sparse, and utility of physical therapy (PT) is unknown. Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) is a classification system utilizing direction-specific treatment for orthopedic conditions based on mechanical and symptomatic response to repeated end range movements. The purpose of this case series is to describe the management of three patients with a medical diagnosis of MN using the MDT classification system.: Three female patients aged 54-75 years with unilateral plantar forefoot pain for 6 weeks to 8 years were referred by a podiatrist following positive clinically accepted diagnostic criteria for MN including radiological imaging and provocation testing. Patients were evaluated and treated utilizing MDT assessment and treatment principles. The intervention consisted of repeated movements matched to the patient's directional preference at either the lumbar spine (1 patient) or distal extremity (2 patients).: Immediate and one-year outcomes were excellent, demonstrating rapid and lasting improvement. Following discharge, the patients have been asymptomatic or able to self-manage without seeking additional medical intervention for this condition. Total visit frequency per patient averaged 2-3 visits total across 8-16 days.: Responses to repeated end range movements testing allowed for classification and prescription of exercise to rapidly improve symptoms and function in three patients referred to PT services with medically diagnosed MN. This series provides preliminary evidence that MDT may be effective in classifying and treating patients with MN.
Topics: Aged; Female; Gait; Humans; Middle Aged; Morton Neuroma; Pain Measurement; Physical Therapy Modalities; Range of Motion, Articular; Walk Test
PubMed: 31177965
DOI: 10.1080/10669817.2019.1611044 -
Pain Feb 2018A consensus on the optimal treatment of painful neuromas does not exist. Our objective was to identify available data and to examine the role of surgical technique on... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
A consensus on the optimal treatment of painful neuromas does not exist. Our objective was to identify available data and to examine the role of surgical technique on outcomes following surgical management of painful neuromas. In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, we performed a comprehensive literature search to identify studies measuring the efficacy of the surgical treatment of painful neuromas in the extremities (excluding Morton's neuroma and compression neuropathies). Surgical treatments were categorized as excision-only, excision and transposition, excision and cap, excision and repair, or neurolysis and coverage. Data on the proportion of patients with a meaningful reduction in pain were pooled and a random-effects meta-analysis was performed. The effects of confounding, study quality, and publication bias were examined with stratified, meta-regression, and bias analysis. Fifty-four articles met the inclusion criteria, many with multiple treatment groups. Outcomes reporting varied significantly and few studies controlled for confounding. Overall, surgical treatment of neuroma pain was effective in 77% of patients [95% confidence interval: 73-81]. No significant differences were seen between surgical techniques. Among studies with a mean pain duration greater than 24 months, or median number of operations greater than 2 prior to definitive neuroma pain surgery, excision and transposition or neurolysis and coverage were significantly more likely than other operative techniques to result in a meaningful reduction in pain (P < 0.05). Standardization in the reporting of surgical techniques, outcomes, and confounding factors is needed in future studies to enable providers to make comparisons across disparate techniques in the surgical treatment of neuroma pain.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Neuroma; Pain
PubMed: 29189515
DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001101 -
International Orthopaedics Dec 2022The optimal treatment of symptomatic Morton's neuroma remains unclear; conservative methods are sometimes ineffective and neurectomy has significant rates of patient...
Treatment of Morton's neuroma with minimally invasive distal metatarsal metaphyseal osteotomy (DMMO) and percutaneous release of the deep transverse metatarsal ligament (DTML): a case series with minimum two-year follow-up.
BACKGROUND
The optimal treatment of symptomatic Morton's neuroma remains unclear; conservative methods are sometimes ineffective and neurectomy has significant rates of patient dissatisfaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of minimally invasive distal metatarsal metaphyseal osteotomy (DMMO) and percutaneous release of the deep transverse metatarsal ligament (DTML) in patients with Morton's neuroma.
METHODS
Between January 2018 and November 2019, 27 patients (29 feet) diagnosed with Morton's neuroma after clinical and radiological evaluation underwent DMMO and percutaneous DTML release. The primary clinical outcomes were pain (VAS) and function (AOFAS score). Secondary outcomes included patient satisfaction, complications, and radiographic outcomes. Patients were followed up for a minimum of two years.
RESULTS
The median age of the participants was 66 years (range 48-79) and the follow-up time was 28 months (24-47). There was a decrease of 5.7 points in the VAS for pain (p < .001) and an increase of 19.9 in AOFAS (p < .001) after the surgical procedure. There was one case of superficial infection and one patient required resection of the neuroma (neurectomy). The majority of patients (89.7%) were satisfied and considered the procedure outcome as excellent or good.
CONCLUSION
Treatment of Morton's neuroma with minimally invasive distal metatarsal metaphyseal osteotomy and percutaneous release of the deep transverse metatarsal ligament showed significant improvement in pain and function with a low incidence of complications and a high rate of personal satisfaction.
Topics: Humans; Child, Preschool; Child; Metatarsal Bones; Morton Neuroma; Follow-Up Studies; Osteotomy; Pain; Ligaments
PubMed: 36031662
DOI: 10.1007/s00264-022-05557-0 -
Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery Jun 2021This review aimed to evaluate the effects of corticosteroid injections on Morton's neuroma using an algorithmic approach to assess the methodological quality of reported...
BACKGROUD
This review aimed to evaluate the effects of corticosteroid injections on Morton's neuroma using an algorithmic approach to assess the methodological quality of reported studies using a structured critical framework.
METHODS
Several electronic databases were searched for articles published until April 2020 that evaluated the outcomes of corticosteroid injections in patients diagnosed with Morton's neuroma. Data search, extraction, analysis, and quality assessments were performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). guidelines, and clinical outcomes were evaluated using various outcome measures.
RESULTS
With 3-12 months of follow-up, corticosteroid injections provided satisfactory outcomes according to Johnson satisfaction scores except in two studies. Visual analog scale scores showed maximal pain reduction between 1 week and 3 months after injection. We found that 140 subjects out of 469 (29.85%) eventually underwent surgery after receiving corticosteroid injections due to persistent pain.
CONCLUSIONS
Corticosteroid injections showed a satisfactory clinical outcome in patients with Morton's interdigital neuroma although almost 30% of the included subjects eventually underwent operative treatment. Our recommendation for future research includes using more objective outcome parameters, such as foot and ankle outcome scores or foot and ankle ability measures. Moreover, studies on the safety and effectiveness of multiple injections at the same site are highly necessary.
Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Disability Evaluation; Humans; Injections, Intralesional; Morton Neuroma; Pain Measurement; Patient Satisfaction; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 34094019
DOI: 10.4055/cios20256 -
European Radiology Feb 2019The aim of this work is to compare the effectiveness of blind and ultrasound-guided injection for Morton's neuroma (MN) to determine which is more appropriate as the... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this work is to compare the effectiveness of blind and ultrasound-guided injection for Morton's neuroma (MN) to determine which is more appropriate as the initial procedure in conservative treatment.
METHODS
This is an evaluator-blinded randomised trial. Of the 56 included patients, 27 were assigned to the blind group (A) and 29 to the ultrasound-guided group (B). Injection includes 1 ml of 2% mepivacaine and 40 mg of triamcinolone in each web space with MN. The included patients were assessed clinically by VAS score and the Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Score (MFPDS). The follow-up was performed at 15 days, 1 month, 45 days, 2 months, 3 months and 6 months after the initial injection.
RESULTS
No differences in age or clinical measurements were found at presentation between group A and group B. At the follow-up, the ultrasound-guided group showed greater symptomatic relief at several stages of the follow-up: 45 days (VAS 3.0 ± 0.5 versus 5.5 ± 0.5, p = 0.001; MFPDS: 32.2 ± 1.8 versus 38.8 ± 2.0, p = 0.018), 2 months (VAS: 3.1 ± 0.5 versus 5.6 ± 0.5, p = 0.002; MFPDS: 31.5 ± 1.9 versus 38.5 ± 2.1, p = 0.020) and 3 months (VAS: 3.1 ± 0.4 versus 5.2 ± 0.6, p = 0.010; MFPDS: 31.2 ± 1.9 versus 37.7 ± 2.4, p = 0.047).
CONCLUSION
Injection of MN under ultrasound guidance provides a statistically significant improvement at some stages of the follow-up (45 days, 2 and 3 months), compared with blind injection.
KEY POINTS
• Ultrasound-guided steroid injections in Morton's neuroma provide short-term pain relief to over 60% of the patients. • Ultrasound-guided injections in Morton's neuroma lead to a higher percentage of short-term pain relief than blind injections. • Ultrasound-guided injections in Morton's neuroma lead to a lower percentage of skin side effects than blind injections.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Anesthetics, Local; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Glucocorticoids; Humans; Injections, Intralesional; Male; Mepivacaine; Middle Aged; Morton Neuroma; Pain; Pain Measurement; Single-Blind Method; Triamcinolone; Ultrasonography, Interventional
PubMed: 30062527
DOI: 10.1007/s00330-018-5670-1 -
Acta Neurochirurgica Feb 2021Individual evidence suggests that multiple modalities can be used to treat entrapment pathology by Morton's neuroma, including injection, neurolysis, and neurectomy.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Individual evidence suggests that multiple modalities can be used to treat entrapment pathology by Morton's neuroma, including injection, neurolysis, and neurectomy. However, their impacts on patient pain and satisfaction have yet to be fully defined or elucidated. Correspondingly, our aim was to pool systematically identified metadata and substantiate the impact of these different modalities in treating Morton's neuroma with respect to these outcomes.
METHODS
Searches of 7 electronic databases from inception to October 2019 were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Articles were screened against pre-specified criteria. The incidences of outcomes were extracted and pooled by random-effects meta-analysis of proportions.
RESULTS
A total of 35 articles satisfied all criteria, reporting a total of 2998 patients with Morton's neuroma managed by one of the three modalities. Incidence of complete pain relief after injection (43%; 95% CI, 23-64%) was significantly lower than neurolysis (68%; 95% CI, 51-84%) and neurectomy (74%; 95% CI, 66-82%) (P = 0.02). Incidence of complete satisfaction after injection (35%; 95% CI, 21-50%) was significantly lower than neurolysis (63%; 95% CI, 50-74%) and neurectomy (57%; 95% CI, 47-67%) (P < 0.01). The need to proceed to further surgery was significantly greater following injection (15%; 95% CI, 9-23%) versus neurolysis (2%; 95% CI, 0-4%) or neurectomy (5%; 95% CI, 3-7%) (P < 0.01). Incidence of procedural complications did not differ between modalities (P = 0.30).
CONCLUSIONS
Although all interventions demonstrated favorable procedural complication incidences, surgical interventions by either neurolysis or neurectomy appear to trend towards greater incidences of complete pain relief and complete patient satisfaction outcomes compared to injection treatment. The optimal decision-making algorithm for treatment for Morton's neuroma should incorporate these findings to better form and meet the expectations of patients.
Topics: Denervation; Humans; Injections; Morton Neuroma; Nerve Block; Patient Satisfaction; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 32056015
DOI: 10.1007/s00701-020-04241-9 -
Cardiovascular and Interventional... Jun 2024To assess the technical success, safety and early efficacy of Morton neuroma (MN) cryoneurolysis.
PURPOSE
To assess the technical success, safety and early efficacy of Morton neuroma (MN) cryoneurolysis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Retrospective review of 54 consecutive patients with MN treated with cryoneurolysis after failure of conservative treatment, from September 2022 to June 2023. Outcomes measurements included technical success (defined a successful ultrasound-guided placement of the cryoprobe), procedural safety according to Cirse classification and change in 6 months post-procedure by pain numeric rating scale (pNRS).
RESULTS
A total of 59 MN were treated during 55 procedures. Mean procedure duration was 47 min, all patients were discharged 2 h after the intervention. Technical success was 98.1%. No Cirse grade 3, 4 or 5 complication was reported. Three grade 2 complication occurred, including two chilblain-type lesions and one bone insufficiency fracture. At 6 months post-procedure, pNRS score was significantly decreased (2.7 ± 2.2 vs 7.1 ± 1.1) (p < 0.0001), with a mean score decrease of 4.1points. Thirty-two patients (60.4%) reported a complete pain relief, 15 (28.3%) a partial pain relief and 6 (11.3%) no pain relief, or increased pain.
CONCLUSION
Cryoneurolysis seems to be safe for the treatment of Morton neuroma. Six-month pain relief is promising and needs to be confirmed at long term.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Retrospective Studies; Middle Aged; Ultrasonography, Interventional; Cryosurgery; Adult; Morton Neuroma; Aged; Treatment Outcome; Pain Measurement
PubMed: 38438685
DOI: 10.1007/s00270-024-03669-1 -
MMW Fortschritte Der Medizin Dec 2016
-
Foot & Ankle International Dec 2020Morton's neuroma (MN) is often a diagnostic dilemma lacking a gold standard set of diagnostic criteria. Advanced imaging of MN is evolving including ultrasonography. The...
BACKGROUND
Morton's neuroma (MN) is often a diagnostic dilemma lacking a gold standard set of diagnostic criteria. Advanced imaging of MN is evolving including ultrasonography. The current study aimed to analyze the relationship between ultrasonographic findings and symptoms, clinical data, and operative findings in a subgroup of patients.
METHODS
We evaluated physical examination, ultrasonographic findings, symptoms, and in a subgroup, the operative findings for Morton's neuroma. We analyzed the symptoms, the findings on physical examination, and ultrasonography data and performed a statistical correlation between them. A total of 175 patients were seen for suspected Morton's neuroma during the last 7 years.
RESULTS
Neuropathic pain of the toes was reported in 63% of patients. Presence of ultrasonographic findings suggesting Morton's neuroma was observed in 77% of cases. A mild significant relationship between neuropathic pain and positive ultrasonographic findings was observed. We found a strong correlation between ultrasonographic and clinical evaluation, but more than half with clinical negative Morton's neuroma had positive findings at ultrasonography. In the subgroup of operatively treated patients (n = 44) surgery confirmed Morton's neuroma in all patients who had positive ultrasonography findings.
CONCLUSIONS
The current study suggests that the association of ultrasonographic evaluation and clinical evaluation can be very useful for the management of Morton's neuroma. Our study could help with the development of a multiperspective approach in the diagnosis of Morton's neuroma.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Level II, prospective cohort survey study.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cohort Studies; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Morton Neuroma; Neuralgia; Physical Examination; Prospective Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Ultrasonography; Young Adult
PubMed: 32856473
DOI: 10.1177/1071100720946748