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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Radiol Imaging
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1801761
Original Article

Evaluation of Tibial and Median Nerves in Patients with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Using Shear Wave Elastography

Amandeep Singh 
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis & Imaging, Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar, Punjab, India
,
Manik Arora
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis & Imaging, Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar, Punjab, India
,
Guneet Awal
2   Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar, Punjab, India
,
Mehar Kaur Sood
2   Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar, Punjab, India
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) leads to diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a significant complication affecting a large percentage of diabetic patients. Traditional methods like nerve conduction studies have limitations in diagnosing DPN, especially in advanced cases. High-resolution ultrasound has emerged as a valuable tool in enhancing diagnostic accuracy.

Objective The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of shear wave elastography (SWE) in assessing DPN, focusing on the tibial and median nerves.

Materials and Methods The study involved 100 participants categorized into groups with DPN, DM without DPN, and healthy controls. SWE was performed on the tibial and median nerves, and statistical analysis was conducted to compare the findings among the groups.

Results The study found significant increases in SWE values from the normal group to the DM group, and further increases in the DPN group for both tibial and median nerves. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated high diagnostic accuracy of SWE in distinguishing DPN from non-DPN cases. Overall, the study suggests that SWE could be a valuable adjunctive imaging tool in diagnosing DPN, offering advantages in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and noninvasiveness.

Conclusion The study concludes that SWE of the tibial and median nerves is a noninvasive, sensitive, and specific method for detecting DPN. Combining high-resolution ultrasound with SWE enhances the diagnostic accuracy of DPN.

Keywords

diabetic peripheral neuropathy - shear wave elastography - tibial nerve - median nerve

Note

Logic P9 ultrasound machine equipped with a high-frequency linear transducer (3–12 MHz) was used in this study.




Publication History

Article published online:
30 January 2025

© 2025. Indian Radiological Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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