Charcot Arthropathy of Foot and Ankle

Abstract

Charcot foot arthropathy is a progressive, noninfectious, destructive inflammatory process of the foot and ankle. There is no single cause for Charcot arthropathy. Charcot foot and ankle patients are usually between their fourth and sixth decades of life. They will usually initially present with an acute inflammatory-like episode. The most commonly used classification system is the Eichenholtz classification, which classifies Charcot stages according to the clinical, pathological, and radiological findings. Generally, when treating the diabetic foot and ankle, the goals are to obtain a stable plantigrade foot, to avoid abnormal plantar pressures in feet with bony deformities, to prevent ulcers from developing or reoccurring, and to allow the patient to ambulate using a combination of footwear and orthoses. To date, total contact casting remains the gold standard for the treatment of diabetic foot ulceration.