Proposal of a new method for the use of the Rydel-Seiffer tuning fork in the screening of diabetic polyneuropathy. A pilot study

•Our new method has good specificity and sensitivity to identify neuropathic subjects.•Our new method is comparable to that of Rydel-Seiffer.•It can be useful to screen subjects with diabetes for peripheral neuropathy.

We investigated the usefulness of a new examiner-independent method based on the duration of vibration sensation following the placement of the Rydel-Seiffer tuning fork over the dorsum of the interphalangeal hallux joint. This method demonstrated the same diagnostic efficacy as the Rydel-Seiffer method coupled with greater ease of use.