AbstractAim: Study of nerve conduction in different clinical grades of diabetic foot.
Material and Method: Diabetic foot without ulceration but with one or more risk factors which include; clinically significant sensory neuropathy, bony deformities, atrophic fat pad, plantarflexed metatarsals, peripheral vascular disease, charcot joint disease; also certain dermatological conditions like dry, scaly skin with fissures or thickened, discoloured nail plates. All patients diagnosed as diabetic foot were sent for Nerve Conduction Study after obtaining their written informed consent. Three nerves were studied; two motor nerves, common peroneal and tibial nerves; and one purely sensory nerve, sural nerve. After obtaining their nerve conduction study values, their results of nerve conduction study were tabulated according to the clinical grades of diabetic foot. The data collected was subjected to statistical analysis to detect the differences in the nerve conduction study in different grades.
Result: Number of male patients were more than twice the number of female patients in my study. The number of patients with bilateral neuropathy detected by NCV study is more than that detected clinically. By applying test of significance, chi significant. Hence, NCV is a better study to detect nerve conduction abnormalities than clinical examination.
Conclusion: Mixed type of neuropathy was the most common in my study with respect to sensory and motor types of neuropathy; and also axonal and demyelinating types of neuropathy. Number of patients with bilateral neuropathy detected by NCV study in my study is more than that detected clinically and the difference is significant by applying the test of significance.