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. 2008 Jul;28(3):71-8.
doi: 10.4103/0973-3930.44076.

Correlation between two-point discrimination with other measures of sensory loss in diabetes mellitus patients

R Periyasamy, M Manivannan, V B Narayanamurthy

Correlation between two-point discrimination with other measures of sensory loss in diabetes mellitus patients

R Periyasamy et al. Int J Diabetes Dev Ctries. 2008 Jul.

Abstract

Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most important factors for foot ulceration in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. Among different sensibility measures of neuropathy, two-point discrimination (TPD) has been suggested as a reliable method; however, the correlation of TPD with other well-known measures is not known. We measured the loss of protective sensation using Semmes-Weinstein Monofilaments (SWMF), hardness of the foot sole using shore meter (sh), power ratio (PR) using pedopowergraph and TPD using esthesiometer in foot areas of both left and right legs in 14 DM subjects. We have found no correlation either between TPD and shore values (sh) or between TPD and PR. The SWMF (10 g) is found not to provide any additional value in measuring loss of sensation in comparison to TPD. The TPD appears to be measuring different property of the foot compared to other measures. The mechanism of this independence is not well understood and more investigation is required to understand the mechanism.

Keywords: Diabetic neuropathy; pedopowergraph; sensory measures; shoremeter.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) standard division of foot area, (b) division of foot for our study
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pedopowergraph
Figure 3
Figure 3
Variation of two-point discrimination with different shore level of foot sole in the right foot area 5, 6 and 7 for 14 diabetic subjects
Figure 4
Figure 4
Variation of two-point discrimination with different PR value of foot sole in the right foot area 3 and 4 for 14 diabetic subjects
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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