Ultrasound assessment of peripheral nerves in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus of varying duration in childhood and adolescence

Abstract

The annual increase in the number of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) requires additional attention to the issue of improving the quality of life of patients and reducing the risks of developing complications in the long term. Purpose. To study changes in ultrasound parameters of peripheral nerves in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) of varying duration in childhood and adolescence. Material and methods. The study included data from 190 children aged 5–18 years, including 139 children with an established diagnosis of T1DM of varying duration and 51 children from the control group. All patients underwent ultrasound of the peripheral nerves of the lower extremities using B-mode, color Doppler mapping, preppler microvascularization, and shear wave elastography mode. Results. The data obtained indicate the promise of using ultrasound for diagnosis and dynamic monitoring of the condition of peripheral nerves in patients with T1DM in childhood and adolescence. The combination of increased stiffness and increased size of peripheral nerves of the lower extremities is a sign of nerve changes in T1DM in childhood and adolescence.