• Bayram Kelle, Mehtap Evran, Tugsan Ballı, and Ferdi Yavuz.
• Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cukurova University, Faculty of Medicine, Balcalı Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
• J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2016 Nov 21; 29 (4): 717-722.

Background And ObjectiveTo evaluate the correlations of the cross-sectional area (CSA) of peripheral nerves in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) patients based on ultrasound (US) with clinical and demographic characteristics.MethodsA DPN patient group (n= 53) and a matched healthy control group (n= 53) underwent US imaging of the sciatic, tibial and median nerves. The CSAs of these nerves were recorded, and their associations with pain intensity according to the visual analog scale (VAS) score and the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) pain scale score, diabetes mellitus (DM) duration, body mass index (BMI), HbA1c level and blood glucose levels were evaluated.ResultsThe CSAs of the examined nerves in diabetic patients were larger than those in healthy individuals (p< 0.05). No correlations were detected between the CSAs of the examined nerves and the parameters of interest (p> 0.05), including the VAS and LANSS pain scale scores (p= 0.32 and p= 0.31, respectively).ConclusionsUS is a sensitive diagnostic technique for detecting DPN; however, it does not indicate disease severity.

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