Resumen de Lower-Extremity Amputation Risk After Charcot Arthropathy and Diabetic Foot Ulcer
Min-Woong Sohn, Rodney M. Stuck, Michael S. Pinzur, Todd A. Lee, Elly Budiman-Mak
To compare risks of lower-extremity amputation between patients with Charcot arthropathy and those with diabetic foot ulcers. A retrospective cohort of patients with incident Charcot arthropathy or diabetic foot ulcers in 2003 was followed for 5 years for any and minor amputations in the lower extremities. After a mean follow-up of 37 ± 20 and 43 ± 18 months, the Charcot and ulcer groups had 4.1 and 4.7 amputations per 100 person-years, respectively. Among patients <65 years old at the end of follow-up, amputation risk relative to patients with Charcot alone was 7 times higher for patients with ulcer alone and 12 times higher for patients with Charcot and ulcer. Charcot arthropathy by itself does not pose a serious amputation risk, but ulcer complication multiplicatively increases the risk. Early surgical intervention for Charcot patients in the absence of deformity or ulceration may not be advisable.
