In the annual roundup of emerging advances in podiatry, this author talks to podiatrists to get their thoughts about new surgical devices, vascular assessment tools and intriguing diagnostic innovations.

     Advances in technology have the potential to reshape and redefine commonly held thought processes and practices in podiatry. This year’s list includes a quicker option for assessing microvascular flow, an ankle arthrodesis locking plate and a diagnostic device that may facilitate earlier recognition of lower extremity melanomas.

     With that said,

   There are 15 million people in the United States with diabetes mellitus, half of whom are undiagnosed. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) occur in 12 percent of these individuals, accounting for 60 percent of lower extremity amputations and costing more than $1 billion annually.¹

   Diabetic foot ulcers have various mechanisms including:
   • microneurovascular dysfunction with loss of the nociceptive reflex and an exacerbated inflammatory response;
   • vasomotor dysfunction with arteriovenous shunting;