Acute Charcot arthropathy successfully treated with pamidronate: long-term follow-up

Charcot arthropathy is a relatively rare complication of diabetic neuropathy that may lead to significant discomfort, deformity, and disability, including severe function loss and limb amputation. Initial diagnosis of Charcot arthropathy is often delayed for several weeks, and it is compounded by the lack of specific clinical and laboratory diagnostic parameters. Increasing understanding of the underlying pathogenic events provide strong support for an important role for osteoclastic activity and pro-inflammatory cytokines. This has led to the successful use of bisphosphonates in patients with acute presentation. Herein we report 3 patients with active (acute) Charcot arthropathy secondary to diabetic neuropathy that exhibited an excellent long-term clinical response to intravenous pamidronate therapy.