Charcot foot and ankle reconstruction: current thinking and surgical approaches.

The surgical repair of unstable diabetic neuropathic osteoarthropathy of the midfoot or the hindfoot and ankle remains a challenge with little guidance available in the medical literature. The authors present their proposed surgical intervention techniques regarding the use of external fixation with or without combined internal fixation. A step-by-step guide through the authors' preferred technique for these difficult limb salvage cases is presented in detail.