A Week’s Worth of Reasons to Reconsider Monofilament Testing for DPN: Thursday

Thursday: One standardized clinical testing protocol has yet to be adopted by all providers. A lack of standardization in technique calls into question the applicability of test results. This is especially concerning as the test is used by a wide spectrum healthcare providers across the globe. For example, Japanese researchers have found the 2 gm monofilament more effective in their patient population than the traditional 10 gram device at detecting DPN (1).

1. Kamei N, Yamane K, Nakanishi S, et al. Effectiveness of Semmes-Weinstein monofilament examination for diabetic peripheral neuropathy screening. J Diabetes Complications. 2005;19(1):47-53.