title: Clinical usefulness of the two-site Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test for detecting diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
abstract: The present study was done to validate the two-site Semmes-Weinstein (SW) monofilament test in identifying patients at risk of lower-extremity complications in clinical setting. The SW monofilament test and nerve conduction study were conducted on type 2 diabetic patients (n=37) at Pusan National University Hospital in Korea. As the duration of diabetes mellitus was longer, neuropathy identified by nerve conduction study and complications of diabetes were more severe (p<0.01). The number of sites unable to perceive SW monofilament (p<0.001) was larger in patients with lower-extremity neuropathy symptoms than those without symptoms. Sensitivity and specificity at two sites (the third and fifth metatarsal head sites) were 93% and 100%, respectively. In conclusion, the two-site SW monofilament test was a sensitive, specific, simple, and inexpensive screening tool for identifying diabetic peripheral neuropathy in clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Pusan National University, University Hospital, 1-10 Ami-dong, Seo-gu, Busan 602-739, Korea. saylee@pusan.ac.kr
authors.forename: Sangyeoup
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyeunho
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sanghan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Yongsoon
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Yunjin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byeungman
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D011312:Pressure; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014110:Touch