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Comparative Study
. 2003 Feb;18(1):103-7.
doi: 10.3346/jkms.2003.18.1.103.

Clinical usefulness of the two-site Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test for detecting diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Sangyeoup Lee  1 , Hyeunho Kim, Sanghan Choi, Yongsoon Park, Yunjin Kim, Byeungman Cho
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Clinical usefulness of the two-site Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test for detecting diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Sangyeoup Lee et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2003 Feb.

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.

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