The imaging of musculoskeletal manifestations and complications in diabetes mellitus

The musculoskeletal system is one of the major regions, where changes caused by diabetes mellitus (DM) are often encountered causing severe impairment of the quality of patients' lives. These changes have therefore become an important focus of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, with imaging methods - both plain radiography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to a lesser extent ultrasound (US), being their cornerstones. In the article the images of musculoskeletal (MSK) manifestations of diabetes mellitus are presented, structured into changes directly caused by DM, metabolic consequences of DM, syndromes with increased coincidence with DM and septic complications. The CT, MRI and radiographic images of both initial and extensive changes are being displayed as well as evolution of the changes in a radiographic series. The concerning pathophysiologic remarks are only basic, as they are not the primary focus of radiodiagnostics. In conclusion it is stated, that imaging of the MSK system in diabetic patients is a large issue in radiologic units serving internal medicine departments, that the imaging methods should be applied specifically and that the radiologic findings influence further management of the patients in many respects, but also, that in some diagnostic questions, namely concerning septic complications of the diabetic foot, a fully reliable and unequivocal interpretation is not always possible.

Keywords: diabetes mellitus; imaging; musculoskeletal system