Diabetes Status is Associated With Plantar Soft Tissue Stiffness Measured Using Ultrasound Reverberant Shear Wave...

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Medical Imaging
• Diabetology

Background:

• Diabetes is associated with microvascular complications affecting soft tissues.
• Plantar soft tissue mechanical properties may change with diabetes status.
• Assessing these changes could aid in early detection and management of diabetic foot complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between plantar soft tissue mechanical properties and diabetes status.
• To evaluate the utility of ultrasound elastography in assessing soft tissue stiffness in individuals with prediabetes and diabetes.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 51 participants (21 male/30 female) with prediabetes onset (fasting blood sugar > 100 mg/dL) and no lower limb amputation.
• Utilized ultrasound reverberant shear wave elastography to measure soft tissue stiffness at the 1st metatarsal head (MTH), 3rd MTH, and heel.
• Analyzed data using Spearman's rank-order correlation and Mann-Whitney U tests.

Main Results:

• Significant positive correlations were observed between fasting blood sugar (FBS) levels and plantar soft tissue shear wave speed at the 1st MTH in both feet.
• Individuals with diabetes exhibited significantly higher shear wave speeds in the plantar soft tissue at the 1st MTH compared to the prediabetes group.
• Effect sizes indicated a notable difference in tissue stiffness between the diabetes and prediabetes groups.

Conclusions:

• An association exists between fasting blood sugar levels and plantar soft tissue stiffness, with higher stiffness observed in the diabetes group.
• Ultrasound elastography can potentially improve the assessment of diabetic foot complication severity.
• The findings suggest implications for patient stratification in diabetes management.