Evaluation of Diabetic Foot Ulcers - Diabetic Foot Ulcer Diagnosis and Tests

Evaluation of Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Medifocus Health

In evaluating the patient with a diabetic foot ulcer, the health care provider will pay close attention to the following clinical parameters:

Characteristics of the ulcer:

Appearance, location and size of the ulcer
Depth of the ulcer - using a special "probe", the doctor can measure how deep the ulcer has spread. In general, deeper ulcers pose a higher risk for developing cellulitis and/or osteomyelitis than superficial ulcers and, therefore, require more aggressive treatment
Infection

Inspecting the ulcer for clinical signs of infection (pus; foul odor; swelling; redness)
If infection is suspected, the ulcer should be cultured and sent to the microbiology laboratory to identify the bacterial species causing the infection
If infection is suspected in a deep ulcer, X-rays should be obtained to determine if the infection has spread to the underlying bone (osteomyelitis). A bone biopsy is usually necessary, however, to confirm the diagnosis of osteomyelitis
Peripheral neuropathy

Screening test to determine if the patient has sensory nerve dysfunction caused by peripheral neuropathy
Peripheral vascular disease

Palpation of foot pulses (e.g., pedal pulses; popliteal pulses) to screen for peripheral arterial disease