15-year Type 2 Diabetes in Surgery — 62yo Man | Vascular Surgery | SMLE Q#5900
SMLE Question #5900
Surgery
Vascular Surgery
Last updated: February 2026
A 62-year-old man with a 15-year history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and long-standing hypertension presents to the outpatient clinic for a non-healing ulcer on the plantar surface of his right forefoot for 3 months. He denies claudication or rest pain. Examination shows a shallow ulcer with a pink granulating base under the first metatarsal head with surrounding callus. Dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial pulses are palpable and symmetric. Pinprick and vibration sense are reduced in both feet. Which of the following is the most likely underlying cause of this patient’s foot ulcer?
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