UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Orthopedics

Title: Does this patient with diabetes have osteomyelitis of the lower extremity

Keywords: Diabetes, osteomyelitis (PubMed Search)

Posted: 12/29/2013 by Brian Corwell, MD (Updated: 5/3/2024)
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No single feature of the history of physical examination reliably rules out ostemyelitis

Aids in making the diagnosis include:

An ulcer area larger than 2 cm²(LR 7.2),

A positive probe to bone test (LR 6.4),

An ESR greater than 70 mm/h (LR 11)

Butalia S, Palda VA, Sargeant RJ, Detsky AS, Mourad O. Does this patient with diabetes have osteomyelitis of the lower extremity? JAMA. 2008 Feb 20;299(7):806-13.