Diabetic neuropathic foot ulcer: successful treatment by low-intensity laser therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of low-intensity laser irradiation for the induction of wound healing of a diabetic neuropathic foot ulcer.


METHODS
We report a case of a man with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, sensory neuropathy, macroangiopathy and microangiopathy who had been suffering from an ulcer of his first left toe accompanied by osteomyelitis for 6 weeks.


RESULTS
After a total of 16 sessions of low-intensity laser therapy using a 670-nm diode laser administered within a 4-week period the ulcer healed completely. During a follow-up period of 9 months, there was no recurrence of the ulcer even though the patient's metabolic condition remained unstable.


CONCLUSIONS
Although laser therapy was not applied as a monotherapy, the present observation suggests that it might constitute a useful side-effect-free alternative treatment modality for the induction of wound healing of neuropathic ulcers in diabetic patients. Therefore large properly controlled randomized studies seem justified.
Division of Special and Environmental Dermatology, Allergy and Infectious Diseases, University of Vienna Medical School, Vienna, Austria. Andreas.Schindl@akh-wien.ac.at
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Schindl
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Schindl
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Pernerstorfer-Schön
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Kerschan
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Knobler
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Schindl
D000368:Aged; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000528:radiation effects