title: Leg ulcers are a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Dresden-Friedrichstadt, Academic Teaching Hospital of the Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany. wollina-uw@khdf.de
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Wollina
authors.forename: Mohamed Badawy
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Abdel Naser
authors.forename: Gesine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hansel
authors.forename: Cathrine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Helm
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Helga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Konrad
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schönlebe
authors.forename: Leonore
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Unger
authors.forename: Erich
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Köstler
mesh_terms: 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