Value of MRI in changing of diabetic foot osteomyelitis management

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has notably altered the diagnosis of diabetic pedal disease. American College of Radiology (ACR) appropriateness criteria on suspected diabetes mellitus osteomyelitis (DMO) indicate that MRI is the preferred modality to confirm this diagnosis. Although the literature has emphasized the accuracy of MRI for DMO, the accurate delineation of the extent of infection may have been more important. We hypothesize that MRI has had a marked effect on patient care by shifting interventions to less aggressive surgical procedures. Hence, we evaluated the temporal trends in surgical interventions for diabetic foot osteomyelitis.