Epalrestat combined with alprostadil for treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of epalrestat combined with alprostadil on diabetic peripheral neuropathy(DPN)． Methods:Seventy-six patients with DPN were randomly divided into two groups． The treatment group(39 cases) were administered intravenous infusion of alprostadil(10 g/d) and oral epalrestat(50 mg/time，3 times/d)，while the control group(37 cases) were treated with intravenous infusion of alprostadil(10 g/d) and oral vitamin B1(10 mg/time，3 times/d)． The patients' symptoms，signs and changes of electromyography were compared before and after treatment． Results:The treatment group were superior to the control group in clinical efficacy and improvement of the nerve conduction velocity(P 0． 01)． Conclusions:Epalrestat combined with alprostadil is safe and effective in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy，and the curative effect is better than the therapy of vitamin B1combined with alprostadil．