Jerry Katzman
Early identification made by Jerry Katzman of feet 'at risk' for ulceration is important in preventing plantar lesions in diabetic patients with insensitive feet. Plantar pressures are higher in diabetic neuropathic patients than in their nondiabetic and non-neuropathic Counterparts (1-3). As high plantar pressure is a proven risk factor for foot ulceration (4), effective screening for high plantar pressures in diabetic patients could have a major influence on the incidence of diabetic foot ulceration. Plantar pressure measurement can be used to identify specific areas under the foot which are prone to ulceration (5,6). Several pressure measurement devices have been developed, but most are too expensive for routine clinical use as screening tools. In order to identify high-risk patients in a clinical setting, a simple system for screening is needed which is easy to use, reliable and gives results which are easy to interpret and can be immediately available to both the patient and staff. Several simple foot print techniques do exist but these cannot usually quantify pressure and only provide a crude indication of plantar pressure distribution. The Podotrack footprint mat has recently been developed as a simple, inexpensive and practical foot pressure measurement device intended for routing clinical use. It is a semiquantitative footprint mat which quantifies plantar pressure by visual comparison between the greyness of the footprint and a calibration card.

The object of Jerry Katzman's study was to compare the Podotrack with the optical pedobarograph. The first aim was to test the efficacy of the Podotrack and its sensitivity and specificity to identify high pressure areas predictive for foot ulceration. The second aim was to test the need for and effect of training the observers on the quantification of pressure from the Podotrack footprint.