The purpose of this study was to review the results of aggressive surgical debridement of neuropathic toe ulcers with exposed bone or joint. We identified patients with a single toe ulcer with exposed bone or joint that had been operated on in an outpatient setting. The surgery had included aggressive debridement and was performed using a small curette and rongeur, followed by oral antibiotic treatment at home. Success was defined as complete healing with no recurrence 6 months after full wound closure and epitheliazation was achieved. Twenty-five patients with neuropathic toe ulcers (72% male) had a total of 26 primary operations. Their mean age was 60 ± 12 years. In 22 patients, the neuropathy resulted from diabetes mellitus of 17 ± 9 years' duration. The mean ulcer duration was 6 weeks (range 1-24). The mean number of visits per patient was 6.5 (range 3-20). The ulcers closed in a median of 5 weeks (8 ± 6 weeks, range 3-24 weeks, Q1-Q3 4-10 weeks). At 6 months, 3 (11.5%) patients had needed a toe amputation for infection or necrosis that could not be controlled. None needed a major amputation or hospitalization related to the ulcer. Toe-sparing surgery is feasible and in a select population can have a high success rate (88%), even though it does dictate more dedicated patient care.
Keywords: diabetic foot; neuropathic ulcer; osteomyelitis; septic arthritis.
© The Author(s) 2016.