Osteomyelitis of the Foot and Ankle Diagnosis, Epidemiology, and Treatment

Osteomyelitis of the foot and ankle is a common, potentially devastating condition with diagnostic and treatment challenges. History and physical examination, laboratory studies, vascular studies, histologic and microbiologic analyses, and various imaging modalities contribute to the diagnosis and treatment. Treatment should take a multidisciplinary approach to optimize patient factors, ensure eradication of the infection, and restore function. Surgical treatment needs to consider the physiology of the infection and the patient, must be extensive, and may use multiple techniques to achieve successful outcomes. Adjuvant therapies and novel laboratory markers may enhance outcomes as they are further studied and used.