Plain radiographs of diabetic foot ulcer: Experience from two tertiary health facilities in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria.

Abstract

Complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) can be acute or chronic. Diabetic foot ulcerations are, often, indications for admissions in the medical wards. A radiological examination is usually requested for in diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) among other investigations. Information on the pattern of plain radiographs of diabetic foot ulcer in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is not known. This was a prospective descriptive study in which consenting diabetic patients with foot ulcer admitted in the medical wards and who had plain radiographs of the affected foot were recruited into the study between March 2020 and February 2022 in the two tertiary institutions of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Relevant data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 software. The most frequent plain radiograph of the diabetic foot ulceration was soft tissue swelling/cellulitis and osteomyelitis. The difference in the amputation extent of the different radiographic findings was statistically significant and no patients billed for amputation died. It is recommended that selected diabetic patients with foot ulcer be subjected to radiological examinations as it is the only cheap and easily available means of making a diagnosis of osteomyelitis in foot ulcer and who should need lower limb amputation.