J Korean Neurol Assoc.  2002 Jan;20(1):49-53.

The Somatosensory Evoked Potentials and Nerve Conduction Studies in Patients with Diabetic Polyneuropathy

• Kim DS
• Ryu SH
• Kim YD
• Choi YC

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The nerve conduction study (NCS) is one of the most important diagnostic tools used to evaluate the function of large myelinated nerve fibers. However, the NCS in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy, who have senso-ry and motor abnormalities on neurological examination, are frequently found to be within normal limits. Somatosensory Evoked Potentials (SEP), F-waves, and NCS were performed to determine their usefulness in detecting electrophysiologic abnormalities in the early stages of patients with diabetic polyneuropathy.
METHODS
Posterior tibial SEP (PTSEP) studies were performed in thirty patients with clinically suspected diabetic polyneuropathy who had with-in normal values of NCS involving the upper and lower extremities. PTSEP, F-wave, and NCS were also performed in age and height matched eighteen normal participants.
RESULTS
The mean latencies of spinal evoked potentials (T12) and cortical evoked potentials (P1) were significantly prolonged in the diabetic patients compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The mean central conduction times and F wave latencies had no significant differences between the patients and control groups (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
We found the SEP study to be a useful diagnostic test for detecting diabetic polyneuropathy.

Keyword

Diabetes mellitus (DM); Diabetic polyneuropathy; Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP)

MeSH Terms

Diabetic Neuropathies*
Diagnostic Tests, Routine
Evoked Potentials
Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory*
Humans
Lower Extremity
Nerve Fibers, Myelinated
Neural Conduction*
Neurologic Examination
Reference Values