Imaging findings of diabetic complications from head to toe: a comprehensive radiologic review

Diabetes mellitus is a systemic metabolic disease that causes a wide spectrum of complications affecting multiple organs. Advances in imaging modalities have substantially improved the detection, characterization, and clinical management of these conditions. However, the imaging manifestations of diabetic complications are highly diverse, often mimicking other diseases and posing diagnostic challenges for radiologists. This review aimed to provide an organ-based overview of the characteristic imaging features of diabetic complications from head to toe, integrating pathophysiological mechanisms relevant to image interpretation. Representative cases are illustrated using multimodal imaging—computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, radiography, and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT—to highlight key findings, differential diagnoses, and potential pitfalls. Specifically, this review focuses on conditions and diseases that are amenable to evaluation by radiological imaging. Understanding these imaging patterns is essential for early diagnosis, risk stratification, and optimal patient management. Through an educational, pictorial approach, this review aims to enhance radiologists’ recognition of diabetic complications across organ systems.