Charcot foot reconstruction—how do hardware failure and non-union affect the clinical outcomes?

Charcot neuroarthropathy (CN) is a degenerative condition, associated with peripheral neuropathy that most commonly affects the bones and joints in the foot. This condition was first described by Jean-Martin Charcot (1), who linked it to syphilis. It was later, in 1936, that W Jordan established the association between diabetes and CN (2). The World Health Organization estimated that the number of people with diabetes has risen from 108 million (4.7% of the adult population) in 1980 to 422 million (8.5%) in 2014 (3). It is estimated that up to 50% of the diabetic population will develop peripheral neuropathy (4). One of the most devastating complications of diabetes is CN and 0.2% of the diabetic population is estimated to be suffering from this (5). Foot ulcers in the presence of peripheral neuropathy carry a high rate of complications (6). Walsh et. al. reported that patients with diabetic foot ulcers had a 5-year death rate of 42.2% (7), whereas van Baal identified in a cohort study that patients with acute CN had a decreased life expectancy of 14 years (8). CN and its complications are also known to have a negative impact on the mobility and quality of life of the individual (9-11). Acute CN of foot is considered as a clinical emergency Original Article