Ultrasound in the Modern Management of the Diabetic Foot Syndrome: A Multipurpose Versatile Toolkit

Use of carbon dioxide fractional laser in the management of lower limb ischemia in patients with diabetes: a case report : CO2 fractional laser in the treatment of diabetic foot

Treatment of lower limb ischemia in patients with diabetes is challenging because of the location of the ulcers and the complexity of their pathogenesis. Carbon dioxide fractional laser (CO2FL) therapy in conjunction with tibial periosteum distraction could become a substitute for conventional methods. We herein describe a patient diagnosed with ischemic diabetic foot with a complex ulcer in the upper third of the tibia. Laser irradiation (Deep FX mode with 30 mJ of energy and 10% density) was applied to the entire region of skin below the knee after surface anesthesia, and this treatment was performed twice a week until the ulcer healed. Computed tomography angiography showed successful establishment of a blood supply to the back of the right foot after treatment. Skin grafting was successfully performed, with only a few wounds remaining on the foot 8 months after treatment. The pain score was significantly decreased at the last follow-up. No complications occurred. This case report provides guidance for the performance of CO2FL, a fast, easy, accurate treatment in patients with diabetes. CO2FL can target lower limb arterial occlusive disease accompanied by refractory ulcers, addressing the underlying vascular occlusion and dysfunction as well as promoting microcirculation and wound healing.

Diagnosis and treatment of diabetic foot ulcer complicated with lower extremity vasculopathy: Consensus recommendation from the Chinese Medical Association (CMA), Chinese Medical Doctor Association (CMDA)

Diabetic foot ulcer complicated with lower extremity vasculopathy is highly prevalent, slow healing and have a poor prognosis. The final progression leads to amputation, or may even be life-threatening, seriously affecting patients' quality of life. The treatment of lower extremity vasculopathy is the focus of clinical practice and is vital to improving the healing process of diabetic foot ulcers. Recently, a number of clinical trials on diabetic foot ulcers with lower extremity vasculopathy have been reported. A joint group of Chinese Medical Association (CMA) and Chinese Medical Doctor Association (CMDA) expert representatives reviewed and reached a consensus on the guidelines for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of this kind of disease. These guidelines are based on evidence from the literature and cover the pathogenesis of diabetic foot ulcers complicated with lower extremity vasculopathy and the application of new treatment approaches. These guidelines have been put forward to guide practitioners on the best approaches for screening, diagnosing and treating diabetic foot ulcers with lower extremity vasculopathy, with the aim of providing optimal, evidence-based management for medical personnel working with diabetic foot wound repair and treatment.

Peripheral Interventional Strategy Assessment (PISA) for Diabetic Foot Ulcer Revascularization: Preliminary Outcomes of a Multidisciplinary Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) still represents the gold standard for anatomical arterial mapping and revascularization decision-making in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), although DUS (Doppler Ultrasound) remains a primary non-invasive examination tool. The Global Vascular Guidelines established the importance of preoperative arterial mapping to guarantee an adequate in-line flow to the foot. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of DUS in guiding therapeutic vascular treatments on the basis of Global Vascular Guidelines without the need of a second-level examination.

METHODS

Between January 2022 and June 2022, all consecutive patients with CLTI to be revascularized underwent clinical examination and DUS without further diagnostic examinations. Primary outcomes assessed were technical success, and 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes were 1-year amputation free survival, and time between evaluation and revascularization.

RESULTS

Sixty-eight patients with a mean age of 73.6 ± 8.5 years underwent lower limb revascularization. Technical success was 100%, and the 30-day mortality rate was 2.9%. Mean time between evaluation and revascularization was 29 ± 17 days. One-year amputation free survival was 97.1%.

CONCLUSIONS

DUS without further diagnostic examinations can accurately assess the status of the vascular tree and foot runoff, providing enough information about target vessels to guide revascularization strategies.

Ultrasound of the plantar foot: a guide for the assessment of plantar intrinsic muscles

Plantar intrinsic muscles play a pivotal role in posture control and gait dynamics. They help maintain the longitudinal and transverse arches of the foot, and they regulate the degree and velocity of arch deformation during walking or running. Consequently, pathologies affecting the plantar intrinsic muscles (for instance, acquired and inherited neuropathies) lead to foot deformity, gait disorders, and painful syndromes. Intrinsic muscle malfunctioning is also associated with multifactorial overuse or degenerative conditions such as pes planus, hallux valgus, and plantar fasciitis. As the clinical examination of each intrinsic muscle is challenging, ultrasound is gaining a growing interest as an imaging tool to investigate the trophism of these muscular structures and the pattern of their alterations, and potentially to follow up on the effects of dedicated rehabilitation protocols. The ten plantar intrinsic muscles can be dived into three groups (medial, central and lateral) and four layers. Here, we propose a regional and landmark-based approach to the complex sonoanatomy of the plantar intrinsic muscles in order to facilitate the correct identification of each muscle from the superficial to the deepest layer. We also summarize the pathological ultrasound findings that can be encountered when scanning the plantar muscles, pointing out the patterns of alterations specific to certain conditions, such as plantar nerves mononeuropathies.

Cost-effectiveness of Diagnostic Tools to Establish the Presence of Peripheral Arterial Disease in People With Diabetes

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of point-of-care duplex ultrasound (PAD-scan) and other bedside tests for the diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in people with diabetes.

BACKGROUND

PAD is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetic foot ulceration (DFU), and amputation in diabetic patients. Diagnosis enables optimization of therapies to manage these risks. PAD-scan can be performed by frontline staff and has been shown to be the most accurate bedside test. However, its cost-effectiveness has not been investigated.

METHODS

A Markov model was constructed to estimate the health outcomes and costs over 5 years of different testing strategies applied to a cohort of diabetic patients. Bedside tests investigated were PAD-scan, ankle-brachial pressure index, toe-brachial pressure index, audible and visual Doppler, transcutaneous pressure of oxygen, and pulse palpation. Health outcomes were incidence of new DFU, major cardiovascular events, amputation, death, and DFU healing rates. Sensitivity analyses were performed.

RESULTS

PAD-scan was the most cost-effective bedside test with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £11,391/quality-adjusted life years. PADscan had the highest probability (78.7%) of having the greatest net benefit at a willingness to pay threshold of £20,000 per quality-adjusted life years. It reduced the number of amputations by 24% and the number of cardiovascular deaths by 10% over 5 years, compared to toe-brachial pressure index (next best alternative). PAD-scans superiority in incremental cost-effectiveness ratio occurred at a PAD prevalence threshold of 0.24.

DISCUSSION

PAD-scan is a cost-effective test for the detection of PAD in patients with diabetes.

Role of Doppler Ultrasound and Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty in Early Diagnosis and Management of Peripheral Artery Disease

BACKGROUND: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) denotes vascular disorder which peripheral artery’s obstruction or constriction is found. PAD with diabetic history is more susceptible to ischemic ulcer than PAD with no diabetic. The presence of Diabetes mellitus (DM) in PAD can speed up 4 times greater risk of developing Critical Limb Ischemia. In our hospital, difficulty performing extremity perfusion assessment is often found because those examinations are not available, so possibility of PAD can be missed. Therefore, optimalization use of Doppler Ultrasound (DUS) is important in our case. AIM: The purpose of our case writing is to give information about substantial parameter of DUS in determine presence of PAD and define the role of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in PAD. The earlier PAD discovered, faster further treatment conducted, especially PTA. CASE REPORT: A 65-year-old female patient with intermittent left calf pain for 7 months who went to internal medicine outpatient has reported. She has history of type 2 DM and significant hyperlipidemia. On physical examination, vital signs revealed normal value. Body mass index was 28 kg/m2. Resting ankle-brachial index (ABI) measurement was 1.14 and 1.12 at the right and left dorsalis pedis, respectively. DUS showed spectral narrow, reversal flow and no clear spectral window in superficial femoral artery. There are clear spectral window, spectral narrow, and reversal flow in poplitea artery. No clear spectral window, no spectral narrow, and no reversal flow in anterior tibia artery. Clear spectral window, reversal flow, and no spectral narrow are appear in posterior tibia artery. Arteriogram of left inferior extremity showed middle part partial stenosis of anterior tibia artery. Dilatation with standard balloon for 1 min was done. After that, no stenosis in same location and she wasn’t feel calf pain again. CONCLUSION: Compared with two other parameters, reversal flow in DUS is most important parameter to establish presence of stenosis. PTA is adequate to give revascularization stenosis in PAD.