Monofilament Testing Device (MTD)

The gold standard for detecting Diabetic Sensory Neuropathy (DPN) is the Semms-Weinstein monofilament testing device (MTD). This test is used to determine your ability to feel a sensation on the bottom of your foot. If you feel it, we say protective sensation is intact; if you do not feel it we say you have Loss of Protective Sensation (LOPS). The MTD is a reliable, fast, non-invasive, and painless test for identifying patients with peripheral sensory neuropathy. A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Study showed that as sensory screening with the 5.07 MTD rose from 35 percent in 1995 to 89 percent in 1998, lower extremity amputations decreased 20 percent. The MTD itself costs about twenty-six cents, and it’s the most powerful tool in my toolbox.

-drhinkes