Abstract:Objective Using shear wave elastography (SWE) to evaluate the changes of lower extremity neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy(DPN). Methods Total 119 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) admitted from September 2017 to February 2018 were divided into non-DPN group (n=58) and DPN group (n=61),and 60 healthy volunteers were served as control group at the same period.The thickness,width,circumference and cross-sectional area of tibial nerve (TN) 5 cm above the medial malleolus and sural nerve (SN) 5 cm above the lateral malleolus were measured by ultrasonography,and elastic modulus (EI) value was measured by SWE and the differences of above parameters of TN and SN among the three groups were compared.The ROC was used to analyze the sensitivity and specificity of EI value in differential diagnosis of DPN and non-DPN. Results The thickness of TN in DPN group was significantly higher than that in normal group and non-DPN group(P<0.05),and the thickness of SN in DPN group was significantly higher than that in normal group (all P<0.05).The width,cross-sectional area,perimeter and EI value of TN and SN in DPN group were significantly higher than those in non-DPN group,they in non-DPN group were significantly higher than those in control group(all P<0.01).When the threshold of EI value of TN and SN was 52.45 kPa and 52.05 kPa respectively,the area under the ROC and its 95% confidence interval was 0.928(0.884-0.972) and 0.946(0.906-0.986),respectively.The sensitivity and specificity of diagnosing DPN were 90.00% and 81.70% respectively,and those of diagnosing non-DPN were 95.00% and 85.00%,respectively. Conclusion SWE can provide a certain clinical basis for early diagnosis of DPN by evaluating peripheral nerves of lower extremity in T2DM patients.