title: Vibrotactile sense in patients with diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate vibration perception thresholds of patients with and without diabetes, before and after surgical carpal tunnel release.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a prospective study, 35 consecutive patients with diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome were age and gender matched with 31 patients without diabetes having idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome. Preoperatively, 6, 12 and 52 weeks after surgery, the vibration perception threshold of the index and little finger (median and ulnar nerve, respectively) was measured at seven different frequencies (8, 16, 32, 64, 125, 250 and 500 Hz).
  
  
  RESULTS
  At several frequencies, patients with diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome demonstrated significantly impaired vibration perception thresholds of both the index and the little finger, before as well as after carpal tunnel release, compared with patients without diabetes with idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome. After surgery, the overall sensibility index improved for the index finger [patients with diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome (0.79 to 0.91, P < 0.001), patients without diabetes with idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome (0.91 to 0.96, P > 0.05)] as well as for the little finger [patients with diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome (0.82 to 0.90, P < 0.008), patients without diabetes with idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome (0.95 to 0.99, P < 0.05)]. For the index finger, the sensibility index improved to a significantly higher degree for patients with diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome not having signs of peripheral neuropathy (0.83 to 0.95, P < 0.001) compared with those with neuropathy (0.74 to 0.84, P < 0.02). Vibration perception threshold correlates with age of both patients with diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome and patients without diabetes with idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome, while no relationship was found based on duration of diabetes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vibrotactile sense is significantly impaired in patients with diabetes before and after carpal tunnel release compared with patients without diabetes. However, patients with diabetes obtained significant recovery of vibration perception threshold, particularly those without peripheral neuropathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden. niels.thomsen@med.lu.se
authors.forename: N O B
authors.initials: NO
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cederlund
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Speidel
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Dahlin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D014110:Touch; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014732:Vibration