聲譜儀指導的酒精注射成功率很高并且對Morton神經瘤有很好的耐受，后者是足部疼痛的常見原因，以上結論依據由英國皇家國家整形醫院和Kingston醫院共同合作完成的最新研究。

Morton神經瘤是神經組織生長所形成的，出現于足部的神經，最常見的位于第三和第四腳趾間，導致足部劇烈的燒灼痛。在此研究中，研究人員評價了一系列酒精注射入損傷處的效果。

“我感覺許多Morton神經瘤患者接受了沒有必要的手術，而神經瘤完全可以以一種侵襲性不強的方式治療。”第一作者David Connell博士說。

此項研究共涉及101名患有Morton神經瘤的病人。每人平均接受4.1次治療后隨訪一次，并且對病人接受最后一次治療平均21.1個月后的影像資料加以分析。

根據研究，這種治療方法在技術上的成功率為100%。94%的病人癥狀部分或全部緩解，同時有84%的病人完全沒有疼痛。30個病人在接受最后一次酒精治療6個月后，通過超聲檢查發現有30%病人神經瘤縮小。

“令人吃驚的是，大多數接受酒精消融的病人，腳趾的神經分布未受到影響，”Connell說，“這意味著這些病人不會因為手術造成神經麻木和感覺的缺失。”

Alcohol Injections for Common Cause of Foot Pain Highly Successful

Newswise — Sonographically-guided alcohol injections has a high success rate and is well tolerated by patients with Morton’s neuroma, a common cause of foot pain, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and Kingston Hospital NHS Trust in Middlesex, United Kingdom.
 
Morton’s neuroma is a growth of nerve tissue that occurs in a nerve in your foot, often between your third and fourth toes and usually causes a sharp, burning pain in the ball of your foot. For this study, researchers assessed the efficacy of a series of alcohol injections into the lesion. 

“I felt many patients with Morton’s neuroma were undergoing an operation that was unnecessary and that the neuroma could be successfully treated in a less invasive manner,” said David Connell, MD, lead author of the study. 

The study consisted of 101 patients with Morton’s neuroma. An average of 4.1 treatments per person were administered, and follow-up images were obtained at a mean of 21.1 months after the last treatment. According to the study, there was a technical success rate of 100%. In 94% of the patients, partial or total symptom improvement was reported, with 84% becoming totally pain free. Thirty patients underwent sonography at six months after the last injection and showed a 30% decrease in the size of the neuroma.  “Surprisingly, most patients maintain innervation to the toes despite the alcohol ablation,” said Dr. Connell. “This means that they don’t have the permanent numbness and loss of sensation that accompanies resection of the nerve at surgery,” he said. The full results of this study appear in the June issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology, published by the American Roentgen Ray Society.

About ARRS

The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) was founded in 1900 and is the oldest radiology society in the United States. Its monthly journal, the American Journal of Roentgenology, began publication in 1906 and has Japanese and Chinese editions. Radiologists from all over the world attend the ARRS Annual Meeting to take part in instructional courses, scientific paper presentations, symposia, new issues forums and scientific and commercial exhibits related to the field of radiology. The Society is named after the first Nobel Laureate in Physics, Wilhelm Röentgen, who discovered the X-ray in 1895.