"T1 C+ (Gd): inflammatory areas show enhancement, with central non-enhancing necrotic areas"
"Patients present insidiously or are identified incidentally or as a result of investigation for deformities. Charcot joints are often swollen and warm and can mimic infection. They are painless, although sepsis in a neuropathic limb will also have limited pain. Importantly, they do not have substantially elevated inflammatory markers 19. Charcot joints typically present as a unilateral swollen, warm and erythematous foot, often mistaken for cellulitis, gout or DVT 1. Some are identified incidentally or during the investigation of deformity. Pain is characteristically less than expected for the degree of joint destruction, although many patients report some pain despite the underlying neuropathy 1. A useful clue is the reduction of erythema and swelling on limb elevation, which favours Charcot over infection 19. Distinguishing superimposed osteomyelitis is difficult, as infection in an insensate limb is also relatively painless; however, inflammatory markers are normal or only mildly elevated in Charcot, in contrast to the marked elevation expected with deep infection 1,19."
"tuberculous spondylitis or Pott's disease (in the spine) 8"
Expected headings
"Plain radiograph and CT"
"Signal characteristics"
"Patients present insidiously or are identified incidentally or as a result of investigation for deformities. Charcot joints are often swollen and warm and can mimic infection. They are painless, although sepsis in a neuropathic limb will also have limited pain. Importantly, they do not have substantially elevated inflammatory markers 19. Charcot joints typically present as a unilateral swollen, warm and erythematous foot, often mistaken for cellulitis, gout or DVT 1. Some are identified incidentally or during the investigation of deformity. Pain is characteristically less than expected for the degree of joint destruction, although many patients report some pain despite the underlying neuropathy 1. A useful clue is the reduction of erythema and swelling on limb elevation, which favours Charcot over infection 19. Distinguishing superimposed osteomyelitis is difficult, as infection in an insensate limb is also relatively painless; however, inflammatory markers are normal or only mildly elevated in Charcot, in contrast to the marked elevation expected with deep infection 1,19."
"Patients present insidiously or are identified incidentally or as a result of investigation for deformities. Charcot joints are often swollen and warm and can mimic infection. They are painless, although sepsis in a neuropathic limb will also have limited pain. Importantly, they do not have substantially elevated inflammatory markers 19. Charcot joints typically present as a unilateral swollen, warm and erythematous foot, often mistaken for cellulitis, gout or DVT 1. Some are identified incidentally or during the investigation of deformity. Pain is characteristically less than expected for the degree of joint destruction, although many patients report some pain despite the underlying neuropathy 1. A useful clue is the reduction of erythema and swelling on limb elevation, which favours Charcot over infection 19. Distinguishing superimposed osteomyelitis is difficult, as infection in an insensate limb is also relatively painless; however, inflammatory markers are normal or only mildly elevated in Charcot, in contrast to the marked elevation expected with deep infection 1,19."
"Patients present insidiously or are identified incidentally or as a result of investigation for deformities. Charcot joints are often swollen and warm and can mimic infection. They are painless, although sepsis in a neuropathic limb will also have limited pain. Importantly, they do not have substantially elevated inflammatory markers 19. Charcot joints typically present as a unilateral swollen, warm and erythematous foot, often mistaken for cellulitis, gout or DVT 1. Some are identified incidentally or during the investigation of deformity. Pain is characteristically less than expected for the degree of joint destruction, although many patients report some pain despite the underlying neuropathy 1. A useful clue is the reduction of erythema and swelling on limb elevation, which favours Charcot over infection 19. Distinguishing superimposed osteomyelitis is difficult, as infection in an insensate limb is also relatively painless; however, inflammatory markers are normal or only mildly elevated in Charcot, in contrast to the marked elevation expected with deep infection 1,19."
"diabetes mellitus: the most common cause overall and in the foot and ankle; it most commonly affects the foot and ankle"
"neurosyphilis/tabes dorsalis: more common in the past; most commonly affects the knee"
"Charcot joints are typically unilateral but are bilateral in ~20% (range 5.9-39.3%) of cases 7,17. There are two patterns of Charcot joint: atrophic and hypertrophic 2,16:"