Abstract
Pentoxifylline (Trental®) is a hemorrheologic agent that enhances tissue perfusion and oxygénation through its effects on erythrocyte flexibility and blood viscosity in microcirculation. It has been shown to be effective in the treatment of patients with intermittent claudication due to chronic occlusive arterial disease of the limbs. Our purpose was to measure the effect of pentoxifylline in combination with compression banding in the treatment of venous leg ulcers. Seventeen patients who had chronic leg ulcers, with no arterial disease, entered the study. They were treated with pentoxifylline 400 nig t.i.d and compression bandaging. Nine patients showed complete healing of the ulcers, 6 patients dropped out (3 of them due to side effects; 1, abdominal pains; 1, fever, and 1, worsening of ulcer), 2 patients still had ulcers by the end of the trial after 6 months of treatment. Those who completely healed had the ulcers for an average of 40 months, with the ulcers healing in an average time of 14 weeks. In conclusion, it seems that pentoxifylline could have a definite role in the management of patients with venous leg ulcers.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 166 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Skin Pharmacology |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| State | Published - 1996 |
| Externally published | Yes |