Topical phenytoin for treatment of chronic lower limb ulcers

Abstract EN

Background : Many different types of topical agents have been used for promotion of healing of lower limb ulcers.

One such agent that has been tried is phonation.

The apparent stimulatory effect of phonation on connective tissue suggested an exciting possibility for its use in ulcer healing.

Objective : This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of topical phonation in healing of chronic lower limb ulcers Methods : One hundred thirty four patients with different types of chronic lower limb ulcers were recruited in this study.

They were divided into study group and control group.

The study group was 74 patients while control group was 60 patients.

Patients in the study group were subjected to dressing of their ulcers with topical phonation twice daily while patients in the control group were subjected to dressing with nonnal saline.

All patients were followed up for eight weeks and assessed for their ulcer status and recorded as: complete healing, partial healing, no improvement or worsening of the condition Results : By the end of the eight weeks, complete healing was evident in 35 / 74 of the patients (47.3%) in the study group and 20/60 of the patients (33.3%) in the control group.

It was statistically significant (p = .038).

In the phonation group, the highest percentage of complete healing was reported among venous ulcer patients (62.5%) however, the difference was statistically insignificant.

Minor side effects were reported among 6 patients of the study group (8.1%) in the form of burning sensation.

Conclusion : Topical phonation can be used for the treatment of chronic lower limb ulcers of different a etiological causes with favorable results and tolerable local side effects.