Alterations in plantar vessel blood flow in patients with mild diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Early identification and treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) are crucial. Presently, the mechanism of DPN is not very clear, and there are inconclusive conclusions about the influencing factors of vascular dynamic characteristics in DPN. This study aims to detect and compare the hemodynamic characteristics of plantar blood vessels in patients with mild DPN and healthy participants to explore a simple and reliable new idea and a potential method for early assessment of DPN and to investigate the influence of gender and age on hemodynamic characteristics.

Sixty age-matched and gender-matched patients with mild DPN (30 men and 30 women) and 60 healthy participants were randomly recruited. Color Doppler ultrasound was used to measure and analyze the hemodynamic characteristics of plantar-related vessels.

Ultrasonic measurements had good test-retest reliability. There may be no statistically significant differences in the blood flow velocity and blood flow in the plantar-related blood vessels of participants, irrespective of their gender and age. For patients with mild DPN, color Doppler ultrasound may indicate early hemodynamic abnormalities when there are no obvious abnormalities in the large arteries of the lower limbs, which are specifically manifested as increased blood flow velocity and blood flow in the distal small vessels.

Our study provides in vivo data support for the dynamic characteristics of the plantar blood vessel biomechanical model and provides a new idea of in vivo and non-invasive early diagnosis of DPN.