Author(s) Kaleta JL, Fleischli JW, Reilly CH, et al.

Journal Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association. Date of publication 2001 Oct 1;volume 91(9):445-50.

Abstract 1. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2001 Oct;91(9):445-50. The diagnosis of osteomyelitis in diabetes using erythrocyte sedimentation rate: a pilot study. Kaleta JL(1), Fleischli JW, Reilly CH. Author information: (1)Illinois Masonic Medical Center, 3000 N Halsted, Ste 500, Chicago, IL 60657, USA. Comment in J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2002 May;92(5):314; author reply 314-5. Osteomyelitis secondary to diabetic foot infections can lead to proximal amputation if not diagnosed in a timely and accurate manner. The authors have found no studies to date that correlate a specific erythrocyte sedimentation rate with osteomyelitis. A retrospective chart review of 29 diabetic patients admitted to the hospital with diagnoses of osteomyelitis or cellulitis of the foot during a 1-year period was performed. Of the various lab values and demographic factors compared, erythrocyte sedimentation rate was the only measure that differed significantly between the two groups. A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to obtain the optimal cutoff value of 70 mm/h, a level above which osteomyelitis was present with the highest sensitivity (89.5%) and highest specificity (100%), along with a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 83%. This study shows that in combination with clinical suspicion in diabetic foot infections, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is highly predictive of osteomyelitis, and that the value of 70 mm/h is the optimal cutoff to predict accurately the presence or absence of bone infection. PMID: 11679625 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Source ID (e.g. PMID): 11679625