Great toe osteomyelitis and septic arthritis

Case contributed by Bahman Rasuli
Diagnosis almost certain

Presentation

Type 2 diabetic from 20 years ago referred with fever and great toe ulcer.

Patient Data

Age: 50 years
Gender: Male

Dorsal subluxation of the great toe distal phalanx at the level of the interphalangeal joint is seen.

Mild effusion is seen at the great toe interphalangeal joint.

The bone marrow of the great toe proximal phalanx head and neck shows abnormal signal (low on T1 and high on T2/PDfs).

Skin ulcer with edema and thickening of subcutaneous tissue is seen at the great toe plantar aspect at the interphalangeal joint level.

Subcutaneous edema and thickening are also seen along the dorsal aspect of the foot.

Case Discussion

Imaging findings are suggestive of great toe proximal phalanx osteomyelitis with interphalangeal joint septic arthritis and dorsal subluxation of great toe distal phalanx.

How to use cases

You can use Radiopaedia cases in a variety of ways to help you learn and teach.

Creating your own cases is easy.

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.