title: Relevance of ankle reflex as a screening test for diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The primary objective of this study is to find out if testing ankle reflex (AR) alone is an effective screening tool for diabetic peripheral neuropathy and the secondary objective of this study is to compare its sensitivity and specificity with biothesiometer vibration perception threshold (VPT), which is the gold standard.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 450 patients with diabetes mellitus attending endocrine out-patient department from year 2012 January to 2013 July were included in this study. All patients underwent clinical assessment of AR compared with VPT by biothesiometer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AR is sensitive (81.09%) specific (81.679%) with diagnostic accuracy of (81.22%) and agreement between biothesiometer and AR is significant (κ = 0.538 P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AR is at par the gold standard that is biothesiometer VPT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, People's College of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bhanpur, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Mohd Mustufa
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.forename: Sushil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jindal
authors.forename: Shaifali
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bansal
authors.forename: Vivek
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Saxena
authors.forename: Uma Shankar
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Shukla
keywords: Ankle reflex; biothesiometer; vibration perception threshold