Diabetic neuroarthropathy of the foot and ankle.

A review of medical literature reveals that there is inconsistency in the reported incidence of Charcot joint disease or neuroarthropathy in the diabetic foot. There is also controversy as to which articulations are most commonly afflicted. Radiographs of 21 patients with bilateral diabetic neuroarthropathy were reviewed to determine the distribution of joint disease in the foot and ankle. Many patients had multiple sites of joint involvement. The results of this study show that the incidence of metatarsophalangeal joint involvement has been greatly underestimated.