Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > The tactile circumferential discriminator: a ne...
View graph of relations

The tactile circumferential discriminator: a new, simple screening device to identify diabetic patients at risk of foot ulceration.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
  • L. Vileikyte
  • G. Hutchings
  • S. Hollis
  • A. J. M. Boulton
Close
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>1997
<mark>Journal</mark>Diabetes Care
Issue number4
Volume20
Number of pages4
Pages (from-to)623-626
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the tactile circumferential discriminator (TCD) (Tacticon Medical Enterprises, West Chester, PA), a new, simple, handheld quantitative sensory testing device, in the identification of patients at potential risk of neuropathic ulceration. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients with diabetes (n = 133) attending the Manchester Diabetes Centre or diabetic foot clinic seen within a 5-week period were assessed using the TCD, monofilaments, and vibration perception threshold (VPT) measured over the hallux. The sensitivity and specificity of each method in the identification of "high-risk" patients were compared. RESULTS: The TCD was easy to use, and there was a highly significant correlation between the results obtained compared with both filaments and VPT (P < 0.0001). Similarly, in the identification of patients at risk of ulceration, the TCD agreed with VPT in 75.2% of cases and with the monofilaments in 78.9%. In the identification of the 37 foot ulcer patients, TCD was highly sensitive (100%) but less specific (58.3%) than VPT (86.5%; 79.2%) and the monofilaments (91.9%; 76.0%). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the TCD is a simple and reliable new technique for population screening for neuropathy and foot ulcer risk.