RESUMEN El principal factor desencadenante del pie diabetico, complicacion mas comun de la Diabetes Mellitus , es la Neuropatia Diabetica (N.D), cuya patogenesis aun es ampliamente discutida. Un metodo simple, de bajo costo y reproducible para la evaluacion de la alteracion o ausencia de la sensacion protectiva, es la prueba de sensibilidad realizada con los monofilamentos semmes-weinstein (S.W), recomendada como herramienta de tamizaje para la identificacion de pacientes diabeticos en riesgo de ulceracion. Sin embargo, algunos investigadores discuten su potencial clinico, debido a la falta de estandarizacion de la tecnica de aplicacion. Palabras claves: neuropatia diabetica, sensacion protectiva, monofilamento, semmes-weinstein ABSTRACT The main factor for diabetic foot development, the most frequent complication in Diabetes Mellitus, is Diabetic Neuropathy (D.N), whose specific etiopathology is still unknown. A simple, inexpensive and reproducible method for assessing the sensorial component of D.N, defined as the absence of protective sensation, is the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament kit, which has been repeatedly recommended as a screening tool for identifying diabetic patients with risk of ulceration. However, several researchers discuss its clinical potential, because of the lack of a standardized application technique. Key words: diabetic neuropathy, protective sensation, monofilament, semmes-weinstein