Surgery for the diabetic foot: A key component of care.

Surgery for acute and chronic diabetic foot problems has long been an integral component of care. While partial foot amputations remain as important diabetic limb-salvaging operations, foot-sparing reconstructive procedures have become equally important strategies to preserve the functional anatomy of the foot while addressing infection, chronic deformities, and ulcerations. A classification of types of diabetic foot surgery is discussed in accordance with the soft tissue status and acuity of the presenting foot problem. This brief overview from the Association for Diabetic Foot Surgeons describes common conditions best treated by surgical interventions, as well as specific indications. While techniques and indications continue to evolve, effective surgical management of the diabetic foot remains an integral component of care as well as for the prevention of recurrent ulceration.

Modification of the abductor digiti minimi muscle flap for soft tissue coverage of the diabetic foot.

The local intrinsic abductor digiti minimi muscle flap is ideal for lateral, plantar lateral traumatic or diabetic foot wounds following adequate surgical debridement to eradicate any soft tissue and/or osseous infection. Although the indications and surgical technique have been well-described in the literature, the authors present a unique modification of tunnelling the harvested muscle flap directly from the donor site to the plantar recipient foot wound by maintaining the intact overlying skin island at the surface of the fifth metatarsal base. This modification allows preservation of the patient's skin integrity in this area, thereby minimising potential morbidity at the major pedicle site. After the harvested muscle is tunnelled through the intact skin island, an adjacent local random flap mobilisation, autogenous or allogeneic skin graft can then be used for coverage over the muscle inset if primary wound closure is not feasible. Simultaneous soft tissue or osseous surgical procedures and/or surgical offloading with external fixation at the time of index surgery may be necessary to achieve optimal outcomes. The authors present a modified surgical technique for the abductor digiti minimi muscle flap that can be performed in the surgical reconstruction of a soft tissue wound in patients with diabetic Charcot neuroarthropathy.

Surgical treatment of midfoot Charcot neuroarthropathy with osteomyelitis in patients with diabetes: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: A wide range of clinical presentations of Charcot neuroarthropathy of the foot with concomitant osteomyelitis in patients with diabetes has been described. Existing literature provides an equally diverse list of treatment options. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the outcomes specifically for the surgical management of midfoot Charcot neuroarthropathy with osteomyelitis in patients with diabetes. METHOD: A systematic review was conducted by three independent reviewers using the following databases and search engines: Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Library, EMBASE (Excerpta Medica dataBASE), Google Scholar, Ovid, PubMed and Scopus. Search terms used were: Charcot neuroarthropathy, osteoarthropathy, neuro-osteoarthropathy, neurogenic arthropathy, osteomyelitis, midfoot, foot, ankle, diabetes mellitus, ulceration, wound, infection, surgical offloading, diabetic reconstruction, internal fixation, external fixation. Studies meeting the following criteria were included: English language studies, studies published from 1997-2017, patients with diabetes mellitus surgically treated for Charcot neuroarthropathy of the midfoot (specified location) with concomitant osteomyelitis, with or without internal and/or external fixation, follow-up period of six months or more postoperatively, documentation of healing rates, complications, and need for revisional surgery. Studies which were entirely literature reviews, descriptions of surgical-only technique and/or cadaveric studies, patients without diabetes, studies that did not specify location of osteomyelitis and Charcot neuroarthropathy, and treatment proximal to and including Chopart's/midtarsal joint specifically talonavicular, calcaneocuboid, subtalar, ankle were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 13 selected studies, with a total of 114 patients with diabetes of which 56 had surgical treatment for midfoot Charcot neuroarthropathy with osteomyelitis, met the above inclusion criteria and were used for data extraction. CONCLUSION: Surgical intervention for midfoot Charcot neuroarthropathy with osteomyelitis in patients with diabetes demonstrated a relatively high success rate for a range of procedures including debridement with simple exostectomy, arthrodesis with or without internal or external fixation, and advanced soft tissue reconstruction. However, this systematic review emphasises the need for larger, better designed studies to investigate the efficacy and failure rates of surgical treatment in this group of patients.

Use of local intrinsic muscle flaps for diabetic foot and ankle reconstruction: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcomes of local intrinsic muscle flaps specifically in the surgical reconstruction of foot and ankle wounds in patients with diabetes. METHOD: A systematic review of the literature was conducted by three independent reviewers using several databases and search engines. The following search terms were used: foot, ankle, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, Charcot neuroarthropathy, ulceration, wound, muscle, flap, surgical offloading, diabetic reconstruction, local intrinsic, abductor digiti minimi, abductor hallucis, extensor digitorum brevis, flexor digitorum brevis, flexor digiti minimi. Studies meeting the following criteria were included: English language studies, studies published from 1997 to 2017 (inclusive of the last 20 years), patients with diabetes treated for foot and/or ankle wounds, use of local intrinsic muscle flaps, follow-up period of six months or more postoperatively, documentation of healing rates, complications, and need for revisional surgery. Studies that were entirely literature reviews, descriptions of only surgical technique and/or cadaveric studies and patients without diabetes were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 13 selected studies met the above inclusion criteria and were used for data extraction from a total of 113 patients in which 92 local intrinsic muscle flaps were performed for diabetic foot and/or ankle reconstruction, of which 80 (87%) muscle flaps demonstrated success, while 12 (13%) flaps encountered complications. CONCLUSION: Although local intrinsic muscle flaps demonstrated a relatively high success rate when used for the definitive closure of certain diabetic foot and ankle wounds based on existing evidence, our systematic review emphasises the need for more high-quality, larger comparative studies to investigate their efficacy and failure rates in diabetic foot and/or ankle reconstruction.

External Fixation for Surgical Offloading of the Diabetic Foot.

The concept of surgical offloading with external fixation is especially relevant when managing diabetic patients with lower extremity wounds refractory to conservative treatment with traditional offloading. This article provides a case report and review of external fixation as a powerful device in accelerating wound healing and providing correction of osseous deformities simultaneously in the diabetic foot.

The "1-4-4-2" Model for the Diabetic Foot Team.

The cause of diabetic foot complications is often multifactorial; therefore, expertise from multiple surgical and medical specialties is warranted for improved clinical outcomes. Teamwork should be carefully coordinated with strategic planning and treatment should be adaptable to the given clinical scenario. This article describes the formation and interplay of an effective multidisciplinary team for the treatment of the diabetic foot analogous to that seen in elite team sports.

Soft Tissue and Osseous Substitutes for the Diabetic Foot.

Several soft tissue and osseous substitutes have become widely available for consideration in diabetic foot and ankle reconstruction. Although autogenous skin and bone grafts remain the gold standard, the diabetic foot often presents with challenging clinical scenarios in which these options are limited or contraindicated. Selection of the appropriate substitute depends on the patient's medical status, type and extent of soft tissue and bone loss, and expected function of the given site. This article reviews several of the specific advanced orthobiologics and their clinical indications.

A case report of a double advancement flap closure combined with an Ilizarov technique for the chronic plantar forefoot ulceration.

Soft tissue closure of defects on the plantar surface of the foot continues to be a challenge for the reconstructive surgeon secondarily to the limited number of surgical options and often difficulty of replacing durable and similar soft tissue coverage. Primary closure and skin grafting may not be suitable for the weight-bearing surfaces of the plantar forefoot area, and closure may then be obtained by other means of plastic surgery techniques.

A case report of malignant melanoma of the great toe.

UNLABELLED: Melanoma is reported as the most common malignant neoplasm of the foot and carries with it a very poor prognosis. This neoplasm arises from melanocytes, which are pigment-producing cells found predominantly in the skin, and the malignancy can metastasize to any organ system. Early and accurate diagnosis and treatment are paramount components of a successful course of management, and improve the rate of survival for those affected by this aggressive cutaneous neoplasm. In this report, we describe an invasive case of melanoma of the hallux that was misdiagnosed as a chronic ingrown and infected nail. LEVEL OF CLINICAL EVIDENCE: 4.

Cutaneous non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the foot: a rare case report.

UNLABELLED: Lymphomas comprise a heterogeneous group of cancers originating in cells of the immune system at different stages of differentiation. Primary cutaneous non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the foot is a rare occurrence. We present a case involving a primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma of the foot, and highlight the clinical recognition and treatment of this condition. LEVEL OF CLINICAL EVIDENCE: 4.

Use of Local Flaps for Soft-Tissue Closure in Diabetic Foot Wounds: A Systematic Review.

"A systematic review was undertaken to assess the outcomes of local random flaps in diabetic foot wound closure. The review was conducted using the following databases: Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Library, Excerpta Medica dataBASE, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, Ovid, and PubMed. Search terms were local random flap, diabetes, foot, wound, ulceration, neuropathy, tissue transfer, V-Y, bilobed, monolobed, rotational, advancement, transpositional, rhomboid, and Limberg. English language studies, studies published from 1997 to 2017, patients with diabetes mellitus treated for foot wounds, use of local random flaps, follow-up period of 6 months or more postoperatively, documentation of healing rates, complications, and need for revisional surgery were included. Isolated literature reviews and descriptions of only surgical technique and/or cadaveric studies were excluded. The initial search identified 53 eligible studies with 28 being excluded. The remaining 25 studies used for data extraction had a total of 512 patients in which 199 of these underwent 204 local random flap procedures. Average follow-up for the flaps was approximately >2 years, and successful wound closure at last follow-up was demonstrated in 75.5% of the studied population. Studies were found to be of generally low quality, with the majority composed of retrospective case series. Based on current available evidence found in this systematic review, local random flaps demonstrated a relatively high success rate when utilized for the definitive closure of diabetic foot wounds. However, because of a lack of high-quality evidence and substantial heterogeneity among the studies, the results should be interpreted with caution. Levels of Evidence: Level III: Systematic review.

Use of a muscle flap and a split-thickness skin graft for a calcaneal osteomyelitis after an open reduction and internal fixation.

Reconstruction of bone and soft-tissue defects after an open reduction and internal fixation of a severely comminuted calcaneal fracture presents a challenge to the treating surgeon. We present a case report in which an abductor digiti minimi muscle flap was used to cover a complicated wound with calcaneal osteomyelitis and wound dehisence at the surgical incision. This muscle flap provides an easy, reliable, and quick method to cover open wounds at the lateral aspect of the foot and ankle.

Circular external fixation for the midshaft and distal tibial fractures: a report on healing times.

Circular external fixation for the treatment of any tibio-fibular fracture should be taken into consideration as a versatile, minimally invasive technique. Patients should be given this option (when indicated) as one of their fixation alternatives. The healing times we reported are comparable to IM nailing healing times in the mentioned article. Further studies with outcome scores, complications, and long-term outcomes are necessary for circular external fixation in the treatment of tibial fractures.

Corrective midfoot osteotomies.

Corrective midfoot osteotomies involve complete separation of the forefoot and hindfoot through the level of the midfoot, followed by uni-, bi-, or triplanar realignment and arthrodesis. This technique can be performed through various approaches; however, in the high-risk patient, percutaneous and minimum incision techniques are necessary to limit the potential of developing soft tissue injury. These master level techniques require extensive surgical experience and detailed knowledge of lower extremity biomechanics. The authors discuss preoperative clinical and radiographic evaluation, specific operative techniques used, and postoperative management for the high-risk patient undergoing corrective midfoot osteotomy.

Use of circular external fixation for combined subtalar joint fusion and ankle distraction.

The authors discuss a novel technique not previously published that incorporates a subtalar joint arthrodesis with an ankle joint arthrodiastasis as an alternative to a tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis. Young and active patients who experience refractory pain and stiffness to the rearfoot and ankle secondary to combined severe subtalar and ankle arthrosis are suitable candidates for this surgical procedure. This new approach is based on sound principles in the treatment of severe arthrosis affecting the ankle and subtalar joint. The authors are currently prospectively reviewing their surgical experience with this procedure and believe that it provides an alternative option for the patient, with potentially promising long-term results.

Treatment of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures with triangular tube-to-bar external fixation: long-term clinical follow-up and radiographic analysis.

Sixty-six feet (62 patients) with displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures underwent manual reduction and distraction with the use of a triangular tube-to-bar external fixation device and were retrospectively reviewed at a minimum of 1-year post-operative. Final radiographic follow-up revealed complete consolidation in all fractures, maintenance of reduction, and limited degenerative osteoarthrosis about the subtalar joint. Our results indicate that with proper application and attention to detail, restoration of calcaneal morphology using triangular tube-to-bar external fixation should be considered a viable alternative in the treatment of displaced intra-articular fractures of the calcaneus.

Salvage of the first ray with concomitant septic and gouty arthritis by use of a bone block joint distraction arthrodesis and external fixation.

Gouty arthropathy about the first metatarsal-phalangeal joint with a superimposed deep infection poses a great challenge to the foot and ankle surgeon. The inflammatory nature of gout compromises the soft-tissue envelope and vasculature to the area. Acute gouty arthropathy is usually a contraindication to surgical intervention secondary to wound-healing complications and possible vasospasm leading to tissue necrosis. However, if deep infection is present this must be managed with adequate surgical débridement followed by delayed soft-tissue and osseous reconstruction to prevent amputation. The authors present an exceptional clinical manifestation of gouty arthropathy of the first metatarsal-phalangeal joint concomitant with deep abscess and osteomyelitis and the surgical approach taken to afford functional limb salvage.

Surgical management of diabetic foot infections and amputations.

The incidence of diabetes with severe foot infections (eg, necrotizing fasciitis, gas gangrene, ascending cellulitis, infection with systemic toxicity or metabolic instability) has risen significantly during the past decade. Foot infections are a major cause of hospitalization and subsequent lower extremity amputation among patients with diabetes mellitus who have a history of a preexisting ulceration. Surgical management often is required to address severe diabetic foot infections because they can be limb- or life-threatening. Critical limb ischemia, neuropathy, and an immunocompromised host, which often are associated with diabetic foot infections, complicate treatment and are associated with a poorer prognosis.

Plastic surgery reconstruction of the diabetic foot.

Soft tissue reconstruction of the diabetic foot is a challenge for the perioperative team. Primary closure may not be an option and secondary healing may not be reliable. Therefore, surgery is vital and should be coordinated among a well-functioning multidisciplinary team that specializes in caring for patients with diabetes mellitus. Team members must have expertise in reconstructive surgery to ensure adequate wound healing. This article emphasizes the appropriate timing and staging of surgery, discusses the most common plastic surgery techniques, and underscores the importance of a team approach in the management of diabetic foot wounds.