Leg ulcers are a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.
Leg ulcers are common. They cause a substantial burden to the patient and society. However, there is no need for therapeutic nihilism. The target of leg ulcer therapy is the individual patient. To be treated in a rational and successful way, exact diagnosis of the underlying cause(s) and associated diseases is necessary. This can be done in the most effective way with an interdisciplinary approach. The collection of cases demonstrates the need for careful clinical investigation substantiated and supported by vascular, histopathologic, and microbiologic techniques whenever needed. It is difficult to heal every ulcer completely, but improvement of the medical situation as well as the quality of life of the patient is possible in most cases.
Wollina
Uwe
U
Hospital Dresden-Friedrichstadt, Academic Teaching Hospital of the Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany. wollina-uw@khdf.de
Abdel Naser
Mohamed Badawy
MB
Hansel
Gesine
G
Helm
Cathrine
C
Koch
André
A
Konrad
Helga
H
Schönlebe
Jacqueline
J
Unger
Leonore
L
Köstler
Erich
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003646:Debridement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007871:Leg Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life