ABSTRACT

Aim:

Diabetic foot causes morbidity and mortality and reduces the quality of life. The presence and treatment of infections in diabetic foot is espe-cially important as they may increase the amputation risk. In our study we evaluated the amputation rate in diabetic foot patients with Wagner Classification 3 and 4.

Method:

Diabetic patients diagnosed with diabetic foot ulcers (Wagner Class 3 and 4) were evaluated retrospectively between January 2002 and June 2003. The presence of osteomyelitis was investigated by bone scin-tigraphy and MRI. Amputations were classified as major or minor accor-ding to the ankle.

Results:

Thirty-three of 78 (42.3%) patients with diabetic foot ulcers had osteomyelitis. Twelve patients (36.4%) were women and 21 were men (63.6%). Mean age was 60.0±11.2 years, and mean diabetes duration was 15.8±9.8 years. Thirty patients were classified as Wagner class 3 and 3 as class 4. In the follow-up period one patient who did not agreed to the amputation died. Three patients had minor and 2 patients had major am-putations. The total amputation rate was 15.6%.

Conclusion:

A multidisciplinary approach and appropriate therapy reduce the amputation rates in diabetic foot patients.