title: Surgical off-loading of the diabetic foot.
abstract: Surgical intervention for chronic deformities and ulcerations has become an important component in the management of patients with diabetes mellitus. Such patients are no longer relegated to wearing cumbersome braces or footwear for deformities that might otherwise be easily corrected. Although surgical intervention in these often high-risk individuals is not without risk, the outcomes are fairly predictable when patients are properly selected and evaluated. In this brief review, we discuss the rationale and indications for diabetic foot surgery, focusing on the surgical decompression of deformities that frequently lead to foot ulcers.
authors.affiliation: Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ 85012, USA. Robert.Frykberg@va.gov
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Frykberg
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Bevilacqua
authors.forename: Geoffrey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Habershaw
mesh_terms: D000125:Achilles Tendon / Q000601:surgery; D001177:Arthropathy, Neurogenic / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D001178:Arthroplasty; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000150:complications; D005531:Foot Deformities, Acquired / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D037801:Hammer Toe Syndrome / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008682:Metatarsal Bones / Q000601:surgery; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology; D011312:Pressure; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D012775:Shoes; D058971:Tenotomy / Q000379:methods; D014034:Toes / Q000601:surgery