Diabetic peripheral neuropathy: Correlation between nerve cross-sectional area on ultrasound and clinical features

To evaluate the correlations of the cross-sectional area (CSA) of peripheral nerves in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) patients based on ultrasound (US) with clinical and demographic characteristics.

A DPN patient group (n= 53) and a matched healthy control group (n= 53) underwent US imaging of the sciatic, tibial and median nerves. The CSAs of these nerves were recorded, and their associations with pain intensity according to the visual analog scale (VAS) score and the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) pain scale score, diabetes mellitus (DM) duration, body mass index (BMI), HbA1c level and blood glucose levels were evaluated.

The CSAs of the examined nerves in diabetic patients were larger than those in healthy individuals (p< 0.05). No correlations were detected between the CSAs of the examined nerves and the parameters of interest (p> 0.05), including the VAS and LANSS pain scale scores (p= 0.32 and p= 0.31, respectively).

US is a sensitive diagnostic technique for detecting DPN; however, it does not indicate disease severity.