DFSG 2024 Valencia
After the Autumn training school in Valencia, our DCs went on to present their work at the Diabetic Foot Study Group meeting 2024 in Valencia. Some impressions and highlights below!
We are thrilled to announce that our talented doctoral candidate, Abhilasha Akerkar, has won the Best Poster Award at the DFSG • Diabetic Foot Study Group conference 2024 for her outstanding research!
Her award-winning study, titled “Trends in First Diabetic Foot Disease Outcome in a Type-1 and Type-2 Diabetes Population: A Danish Register-Based Cohort Study,” sheds important light on diabetic foot complications. By analyzing data from nearly 14,609 individuals over a period spanning 135,000 person-years, her research provides critical insights into the risk and progression of diabetic foot disease, particularly focusing on the transition between low- and high-risk states and the occurrence of diabetic foot ulcers and lower extremity amputations in both type-1 and type-2 diabetes populations.
Our doctoral candidate Kamran Shakir presented a fascinating poster on the ‘Effect of an Off-the-Shelf Ankle-Foot Orthosis (AFO) on In-Shoe Plantar Pressure’, bringing new insights into the potential for orthotics to improve foot health—particularly for individuals with diabetes at risk of foot ulcers.
In this innovative pilot study, Kamran along with his co-author Hadi Sarlak explored how an AFO affects plantar pressure while walking. By comparing participants walking with and without an AFO, the study revealed a promising reduction in mean peak plantar pressure in the foot wearing the AFO. This finding suggests that the AFO might help redistribute pressure away from the foot, potentially lowering the risk of foot ulcers.
This work highlights the importance of developing practical, effective offloading solutions for at-risk patients. Exciting steps toward improving outcomes in diabetic foot health!
Our doctoral candidate Victoria Milbourn presented her study on the “Prognostic Value of Peak Plantar Pressure for Remission of Charcot Neuro-Osteoarthropathy (CNO)” in the annual DFSG conference.
Her study aimed to understand how peak plantar pressure (PPP) influences remission times in CNO, a condition that affects many people with diabetes. By analyzing plantar pressures in 17 participants using the Emed-X system, she along with her colleagues have discovered a moderate association between PPP in the lateral mid-foot and slower remission, with a threshold of 141 kPa identified as a potential prognostic marker for delayed recovery. While we didn’t find strong correlations across all foot regions, the moderate association in the lateral mid-foot suggests important clinical insights that could help improve prognosis and treatment strategies for CNO.
our doctoral candidate Alessandro Vicentini had the opportunity to present his research work titled ‘Quantifying Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Plantar Foot Soft Tissues: A Systematic Review of Methods and Their Clinimetric Properties’, focusing on enhancing our understanding of diabetes-related foot complications. With over 3857 papers screened, he explored 36 studies that assess the reliability and validity of techniques used to measure plantar soft tissue properties. The findings confirmed the reliability of Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) and ultrasound. Furthermore, new advancements in medical imaging such as Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) are promising for the quantification of the plantar foot soft tissues viscoelastic properties.
