Charcot joint disease in diabetes mellitus.

Vascular surgeons are frequently asked to evaluate diabetic patients with foot problems. While most of these patients present with diabetic foot ulcerations, there is a significant number of patients who have a concomitant Charcot arthropathy. Charcot neuropathic arthropathy, also know as Charcot joint disease (CJD), is a progressive, degenerative arthropathy associated with various types of neuropathic diseases; however, diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of CJD today.