Posterior circumflex humeral artery pathology and digital ischemia in elite volleyball: Symptoms, risk factors & suggestions for clinical management.

Objectives: To assess the association between posterior circumflex humeral artery (PCHA) pathology (PCHAP), symptoms and associated risk factors, in elite volleyball players, and to suggest profiles for clinical management and monitoring.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: A questionnaire assessed symptoms of digital ischemia (DI) in the dominant hand and risk factors among 278 elite indoor and beach volleyball players of whom 6.

Diagnostic properties of the SPIQuestionnaire to detect Posterior Circumflex Humeral Artery Disease in elite volleyball players: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Sports related aneurysmal degeneration and thrombosis of the Posterior Circumflex Humeral Artery (PCHA) has been known to cause symptoms of digital ischemia (DI) in elite volleyball players. Studies have reported symptoms of DI in as much as 28% of the elite indoor volleyball players. The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of the Shoulder PCHA Pathology and digital Ischemia - Questionnaire (SPI-Q) for detection of sports related PCHA disease using ultrasound data as the standard of reference.

Nonoperative Management and Novel Imaging for Posterior Circumflex Humeral Artery Injury in Volleyball.

We report on a 34-yr-old male elite volleyball player with symptomatic emboli in the spiking hand from a partially thrombosed aneurysm of the posterior circumflex humeral artery (PCHA) in his dominant shoulder. At initial diagnosis and follow-up, a combination of time-resolved and high-resolution steady state contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) enabled detailed visualization of: (1) emboli that were not detectable by vascular ultrasound; and (2) the PCHA aneurysm, including compression during abduction and external rotation (ABER provocation). At 15-month follow-up, including forced cessation of volleyball activities over the preceding 9 months, the PCHA aneurysm remained unchanged.

Ultrasound assessment of the posterior circumflex humeral artery in elite volleyball players: Aneurysm prevalence, anatomy, branching pattern and vessel characteristics.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of posterior circumflex humeral artery (PCHA) aneurysms and vessel characteristics of the PCHA and deep brachial artery (DBA) in elite volleyball players.

Methods: Two-hundred and eighty players underwent standardized ultrasound assessment of the dominant arm by a vascular technologist. Assessment included determination of PCHA aneurysms (defined as segmental vessel dilatation ≥150 %), PCHA and DBA anatomy, branching pattern, vessel course and diameter.

B-Mode Sonographic Assessment of the Posterior Circumflex Humeral Artery: The SPI-US Protocol-A Technical Procedure in 4 Steps.

Elite overhead athletes are at risk of vascular injury due to repetitive abduction and external rotation of the dominant arm. The posterior circumflex humeral artery (PCHA) is prone to degeneration, aneurysm formation, and thrombosis in elite volleyball players and baseball pitchers. The prevalence of PCHA-related thromboembolic complications is unknown in this population.

Reproducibility of the SPI-US protocol for ultrasound diameter measurements of the Posterior Circumflex Humeral Artery and Deep Brachial Artery: an inter-rater reliability study.

Objectives: Elite overhead athletes are at risk of posterior circumflex humeral artery (PCHA) degeneration, aneurysm formation and thrombosis. Identification of the proximal PCHA and the nearby originating deep brachial artery (DBA) can be a challenge, even among experienced sonographers. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy and precision of a newly designed standardized ultrasound (US) protocol (SPI-US) for assessment of the PCHA and DBA.