ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSIS OF MORTON'S NEUROMA

Peter Murphy

INTRODUCTION
Ultrasound is an important adjunct to the accurate diagnosis of Morton's neuroma in people presenting with a painful forefoot.

Morton's neuroma is a non neoplastic enlargement of a digital branch of the medial or lateral plantar nerve. It is not a true neuroma being characterised by perineural fibrosis, vascular proliferation, edema of the endometrium and axonal dgeneration.

People most commonly affected are females between 18-85 years and atheletes.

The condition was named after Thomas Morton in 1876 who described the affected patient as "in walking paroximal pain that goes to the heart and provokes unbearable sensations with cold sweats and finally prevents the individual to direct his spirit and will to any other subject but to this unbearable pain."