Autologous platelet-rich plasma versus conventional therapy for the treatment of chronic venous leg ulcers: A comparative study

Summary

Background

Chronic venous leg ulcers drastically reduce the quality of life of affected patients. There is heightened interest in autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as one of the promising therapies for leg ulcers.

Aim

Our aim was to compare the clinical efficacy of PRP in the management of chronic venous leg ulcers vs conventional treatment.

Patients/Methods

In total, 40 patients with chronic venous leg ulcers were included in the study. Twenty patients were treated with autologous PRP weekly for 6 weeks (Group A), and 20 patients were treated with conventional treatment (compression and dressing) for 6 weeks (Group B). Treatment results were calculated by percentage of improvement in area of the ulcer.

Results

Compared to conventional therapy, a highly significant improvement in the ulcer size was observed post-PRP therapy (P-value = .0001). The mean change in the area of the ulcer post-PRP and conventional therapy was 4.92 ± 11.94 cm and 0.13 ± 0.27 cm, respectively, while the mean percentage improvement in the area of the ulcer post-PRP and conventional therapy was 67.6% ± 36.6% and 13.67% ± 28.06%, respectively. Subjective improvement in pain associated with the ulcer was noted by all patients.

Conclusions

Platelet-rich plasma is a safe nonsurgical procedure for treating chronic venous leg ulcers. Additional studies with larger sample size and longer follow-up periods are required to confirm or refute our findings.

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