Feasibility of Point Shear Wave Elastography for Evaluating Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Objectives In the mode of Virtual Touch quantification (Siemens AG, Erlangen, Germany), point shear wave elastography (p‐SWE) is widely used for noninvasive assessments of tissue stiffness, which may be useful in the evaluation of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Methods Thirty patients with type 2 diabetes and 20 control participants (7 with myoma of the uterus and 13 with kidney stones) were enrolled in this prospective study. The 30 patients were further divided into patients with DPN and patients without DPN. Conventional ultrasound examinations and p‐SWE were used to examine the tibial nerve in the popliteal fossa. Results Tibial nerve stiffness values in the overall patient group, patients with DPN, and patients without DPN were all significantly higher than in the control group ( P < .05). The cutoff value of p‐SWE for assessing DPN was 2.60 m/s; at that threshold, sensitivity was 63.33%, and specificity was 92.50%. Conclusions Point SWE was useful for the noninvasive assessment of DPN and had high specificity. The increased stiffness in patients without DPN indicated that the tibial nerve might be affected by diabetes.