Diabetic Foot. Part 2: Charcot Neuroarthropathy / Pé diabético. Parte 2: Neuroartropatia de Charcot

Abstract Charcot neuroarthropathy (CN) is an unfortunate and common complication of patients with diabetes, most likely resulting from a lack of proper understanding of the disease, which leads to late diagnosis. It is commonly misdiagnosed as infection and treated with antibiotics and a frustrated attempt of surgical drainage, which will reveal only debris of the osteoarticular destruction. Proper education of diabetic patients and of the health care professionals involved in their treatment is essential for the recognition of the initial signs of CN. The general orthopedic surgeon is usually the first to treat these patients in the early stages of the disease and must be aware of the signs of CN in order to establish an accurate diagnosis and ensure proper treatment. In theory, this would make it possible to decrease the morbidity of this condition, as long as proper treatment is instituted early.

Resumo A neuropatia de Charcot (NC) é uma complicação lamentável e comum de pacientes com diabetes, provavelmente resutlante de uma falta de entendimento adequado dessa condição, que leva ao diagnóstico tardio.A confusão diagnóstica com quadro infeccioso contribui para que o tratamento inicialmente indicado seja equivocado ao prescrever medicação antibiótica ou, eventualmente, drenagem cirúrgica. Não é infrequente que a drenagem inadvertida do suposto abcesso revele que na verdade seu conteúdo é formado apenas de partículas provenientes da destruição osteoarticular. A educação adequada, tanto dos pacientes diabéticos quanto dos médicos responsáveis por prestar atendimento primário a estes pacientes, é fundamental para a correta compreensão das principais características relacionadas ao desenvolvimento da NC. O ortopedista geral é quem, na maioria das vezes, recebe no pronto atendimento os pacientes que se encontram na fase aguda inicial da doença. Por esta razão, esses profissionais devem estar extremamente alertas e serem capazes de identificar os primeiros sinais que permitem diagnosticar precocemente a NC. Em tese, isto possibilitaria reduzir a morbidade desta afecção na medida em que o tratamento adequado venha a ser precocemente instituído.

La neuroartropatía de Charcot en el pie diabético / Charcot arthropathy and diabetic foot

Resumen: La diabetes mellitus es uno de los principales padecimientos crónicos-degenerativos que en la actualidad va tomando proporciones alarmantes en la población de nuestro país. La artropatía neuropática es uno de los trastornos degenerativos de las articulaciones de mayor interés, cada vez más comunes dentro de la patología ortopédica. Se define como una artropatía degenerativa, crónica y progresiva que afecta a una o más articulaciones periféricas y se desarrolla como resultado de la falta de percepción sensorial normal en la inervación de estas últimas. Como resultado las articulaciones de los pies son sometidas a traumatismos y lesiones repetitivas ocasionando un efecto neurotraumático que daña progresivamente las articulaciones del retropié, mediopié y antepié. El diagnóstico incluye una adecuada historia clínica, exploración meticulosa del miembro afectado, rayos X convencionales, gammagrafía, tomografía axial computarizada y en algunos casos resonancia magnética. El tratamiento conservador incluye el farmacológico y el médico: reposo de la extremidad y evitar deformidades mediante el uso de aparatos de yeso de contacto total, órtesis o calzado especial. El tratamiento quirúrgico depende de la etapa en la que se encuentre la enfermedad y puede requerir una o varias intervenciones quirúrgicas con el fin de lograr un pie plantígrado previniendo la formación de úlceras de difícil manejo. Una de las cirugías más frecuentes es la artrodesis de las articulaciones dañadas. La cirugía debe realizarse solamente en la fase de coalescencia de la enfermedad, puede utilizarse fijación interna, externa o ambas.

Abstract: Diabetes mellitus is a major chronic degenerative disease, which currently is taking on alarming proportions in the population of our country. Neuropathic arthropathy is one of the most interesting degenerative joint disorders and increasingly common within the orthopedic pathology. It is defined as a progressive degenerative arthropathy, chronic and affecting one or more peripheral joints, and develops as a result of the lack of sensory perception normal in the innervation of joints. As a result the joints of the feet are subjected to trauma and repetitive injury causing a neurotraumatic effect with progressive damage to the joints of the hindfoot, midfoot and forefoot. Diagnosis includes a proper medical history, careful examination of the affected limb, conventional X-ray, scintigraphy, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in some cases. Conservative treatment includes: drugs, rest of the affected limb, and the use of appliances like total-contact cast, orthotics or special shoes. Surgical treatment depends on the stage of the disease, and may require one or more surgical procedures, in order to achieve a full foot plantar support to prevent ulcers. One of the surgeries performed most often is the fusion of damaged joints. Surgery must be performed only in the coalescence phase of the disease, using internal, or external fixation or both.

Diabetes mellitus de tipo 1 y pie de charcot en el tercer estadio de Eichenholtz / Type 1 diabetes mellitus and Charcot neuroarthropathy at Eichenholtz's stage III

El propósito de este trabajo es describir el caso de una paciente con diabetes mellitus de tipo1 con pie de Charcot, el primero registrado en el Hospital General Universitario "Guillermo Domínguez López" en Las Tunas, 2013. Se trata de una paciente blanca, de 21 años de edad que llegó al Servicio de Angiología y Cirugía Vascular del citado hospital por presentar una artropatía neuropática de Charcot, en el estadio tres de Eichenholtz, en el curso de una diabetes mellitus de tipo 1, con 12 años de evolución y un mal control metabólico, complicación rara e infrecuente en nuestro medio. Se realizó interrogatorio, examen físico, y estudios analíticos e imagenológicos y se decidió su ingreso. En el primer ingreso se logró la compensación de la diabetes, de la hipertensión arterial, y que el pie disminuyera de volumen. Después presentó múltiples ingresos por uro-sepsis y descontrol metabólico, hasta que fue incorporada a la hemodiálisis por insuficiencia renal y en su posterior evolución comenzó a presentar pericarditis urémica con fallo cardiaco y fallecimiento posterior. Ante la presencia de un aumento de volumen, edema del pie, lesión articular por la que no se siente dolor, deformidad e inestabilidad articular con neuropatía sensitiva-motora en extremidades inferiores, se debe pensar en una neuroartropatía de Charcot y así evitar su evolución hacia la última etapa de Eichenholtz. Este caso es de gran interés para la atención médica de los pacientes diabéticos por todas las especialidades médicas y dirigido especialmente a la atención primaria de salud(AU)

The objective of this paper was to describe the case of a female who suffered type 1 diabetes mellitus and Charcot neuroarthropathy, the first of this type managed in "Guillermo Dominguez Lopez" general university hospital in Las Tunas province in 2013. This patient was a 21 years-old Caucasian woman, who went to the angiology and vascular surgery service of the hospital, because she presented with Charcot neuropathic arthropathy at Eichenholtz´s stage III in the course of type 1 of diabetes mellitus of 12 years of evolution and inadequate metabolic control. This was a rare and uncommon complication in our setting. The patient was questioned about her symptoms and physically examined, then subjected to analytical and imaging studies; it was finally decided to admit her to hospital. In her first period of hospitalization, diabetes and blood hypertension were duly controlled and the foot swelling was reduced. After several admissions to hospital due to urinary sepsis and lack of metabolic control, she was accepted in the hemodyalisis treatment program due to renal failure, but later on, she began suffering uremic pericarditis, heart failure and finally died. In the face of raised volume, foot edema, painless joint injure, joint deformity and instability with sensory-motor neuropathy in lower limbs, one should think of Charcot neuroarthropathy and thus prevent the evolution into the last Eichenholtz´s stage. This is a case of great interest for the medical care of diabetic patients by all medical specialties and mainly aimed at the primary health care(AU)