title: Evaluation of sural nerve automated nerve conduction study in the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  New tests for improved diagnosis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) are useful.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the utility of automated nerve conduction study (NCS) of the sural nerve with a new portable device for the diagnosis of DPN in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study included 114 T2DM patients (58 men) with mean age 64.60 ±8.61 years. Exclusion criteria were B12 depletion, alcohol abuse and other causes of peripheral neuropathy. The reference method was the Neuropathy Disability Score (NDS) with a threshold NDS ≥ 3. Sural nerve automated NCS was carried out with the portable NC-stat DPNCheck device. Sensory nerve conduction velocity and sensory nerve action potential amplitude were measured bilaterally. Automated NCS was considered abnormal when ≥ 1 of the two aforementioned neurophysiological parameters was abnormal in at least one leg.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Examination with NC-stat DPNCheck exhibited 90.48% sensitivity, 86.11% specificity, 79.17% positive predictive value (PPV) and 93.94% negative predictive value (NPV). The positive likelihood ratio (LR+) was 6.51 and the negative likelihood ratio (LR-) was 0.11.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sural nerve automated NCS with the NC-stat DPNCheck device exhibits high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of DPN in T2DM.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chatzikosma
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Kalliopi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pafili
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demetriou
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vadikolias
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Efstratios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maltezos
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Centre, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Papanas
keywords: diabetes mellitus; diabetic neuropathy; diagnosis; nerve conduction study