OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of oxpentifylline on the healing of venous ulcers of the leg. DESIGN Double blind, randomised, prospective, placebo controlled, parallel group study. SETTING Four outpatient clinics treating leg ulcers in England and the Republic of Ireland. PATIENTS 80 Consecutive patients with clinical evidence of venous ulceration of the leg in whom appreciable arteria...

OBJECTIVE To identify and describe the qualitative variations in how physical activity is perceived and understood by individuals with current or previous venous leg ulcer. DESIGN A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. METHOD Twenty-two individuals aged 60-85 years were interviewed. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed by three researchers using a p...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the threshold of transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcPO(2)) values in predicting ulcer healing in patients with critical limb ischaemia in a prospective study. METHOD 50 patients suffering from critical limb ischaemia with chronic ischemic ulcers or gangrenous toes were enrolled in this study between January and December 2008. Their demographic data and ankle brachial pr...

BACKGROUND There has been limited examination of the contribution of socio-economic factors to the development of leg ulcers, despite the social patterning of many underlying risk factors. No previous studies were found that examined social patterns in the quality of treatment received by patients with leg ulcers. METHODS Using The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database we identified a co...

et al. Randomized clinical trial of three-layer paste and four-layer bandages for venous leg ulcers. Q Are 3 layer paste bandages as effective as 4 layer bandages for healing of venous leg ulcers? METHODS Design: randomised controlled trial. Setting: a hospital leg ulcer outpatient clinic in London, UK. Patients: 133 patients (56% men) with venous leg ulcers. Exclusion criteria: arterial diseas...

BACKGROUND The total contact cast (TCC) is an effective intervention to reduce plantar pressure in patients with diabetes and a plantar forefoot ulcer. The walls of the TCC have been indirectly shown to bear approximately 30 % of the plantar load. A new direct method to measure inside the TCC walls with capacitance sensors has shown that the anterodistal and posterolateral-distal regions of the...

Pyoderma vegetans is a rare disorder that more commonly affects middle-aged persons, with a male predilection. It is characterized by vegetating lesions that coalescence into a plaque with eroded surface, covered by purulent discharge and crusts. The etiology of this disease is not known with certainty, but it is often associated with bacterial infections in immunocompromised patients. We repor...

In the present study we were interested, if apoptosis plays a role in the surrounding skin of venous ulcers, where microcirculatory disorders were already observed. For this purpose laser Doppler flow and partial oxygen pressure were measured in 17 patients at the ulcer edge, the transitional area of the lower leg and the thigh. Subsequently biopsies were taken from the respective sites and sub...

OBJECTIVES To compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of two different compression bandages for the healing of venous leg ulcers. DESIGN A pragmatic, randomised controlled trial with an economic evaluation. SETTING Community, district nurse-led services; community leg ulcer clinics; hospital leg ulcer clinics with community outreach. A range of urban and rural settings in England and Sc...