Comment on: Riazi et al. Can Ultrasound of the Tibial Nerve Detect Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy? A Cross-Sectional Study. Diabetes Care 2012;35:2575–2579

Riazi et al. (1) report that ultrasound demonstrates a consistent enlargement of the posterior tibial nerve in the distal leg in diabetes sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSP). They also describe an inverse relation between calculated cross-sectional area and objectively measured nerve conduction studies and a direct relationship with subjective DSP severity. Their discussion suggests ultrasound use as a point-of-care screening device for DSP and speculates as to whether a demonstrated nerve enlargement in DSP should be of concern for anesthesiologists considering the use of local or regional nerve block injections, which might hypothetically put the compromised nerve at additional risk.A more …