Measurement of current perception thresholds using the Neurometer(®) - applicability in diabetic neuropathy

Abstract

The incidence of diabetes mellitus is continuously growing worldwide, while the specific chronic complications that it induces have a negative impact on life expectancy andquality, entailing extremely high costs of healthcare services. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is one of the most common chronic complications of diabetes, affecting almost half of diabetic people during life. This review aims at summarizing the evidence on the advantages and the usefulness of current perception threshold measurement for peripheral diabetic neuropathy assessment. Among the different methods used for the screening and diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy, measurement of current perception threshold using the Neurometer® has the ability to assess three sub-types of nerve fiber by producing transcutaneous electrical stimuli at frequencies of 2000, 250 and 5 Hz. Current evidence shows that this method provides a useful, noninvasive evaluation technique of patients with peripheral nervous system disorders, being able to detect neuropathy in the earliest and asymptomatic stages.

Keywords: Neurometer®; current perception threshold; diabetic neuropathies; peripheral nervous system.

Figure 1

The Neurometer® device (Neurotron Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, USA).

Figure 2

R-CPT nerve evaluation in a patient without DPN (A) and a patient with sensory DPN (B).