Abstract: Objective  To investigate the changes of crosssectional area(CSA) of multiple sites of upper extremity nerve in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with peripheral neuropathy by highfrequency ultrasonographyand its clinical significance.Methods  Highfrequency ultrasonography was performed on 30 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with peripheral neuropathy and 30 healthy controls to examine multiple sites of the median nerve(MN),  ulnar nerve(UN) and radial nerve(RN) of the upper limb,  including the CSA of MN at Carpal tunnel,  forearm midpoint,  elbow fossa and midpoint of the upper arm,  the CSA of UN at the rasceta, forearm midpoint side leg and midpoint of the upper arm,  the CSA of RN at the elbow and the radial groove.  Comparative analysis was made on  the crosssectional area and ultrasonographic characteristic of each site and their diagnosticvalueswere also explored.Results  The crosssectional area of median nerve at wrist canal,  midpoint of forearm, chelidon and midpoint of upper arm,  the crosssectional area of ulnar nerve at wrist stria,  elbow canal and midpoint of upper arm,  and the crosssectional area of radial nerve in radial nerve groove in type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy group were all larger than those in normal control group   (P<0.05).Conclusion  Ultrasonography may provide a clinical basis for the early detection and evaluation of type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Key words: diabetic neuropathies, median nerve;radial nerve, ulnar nerve, ultrasonography