title: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for the treatment of venous ulcers in the lower limbs.
abstract: Chronic venous ulcers are one of the most common medical problems today. The treatment has always been challenging and over the years many conservative and surgical alternatives have been proposed. During the past three decades, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been introduced in several medical specialties. According to the clinical findings, the ESWT appears to significantly improve the healing process of chronic wounds, increasing the release of endogenous angiogenic factor from endothelial cells and fibroblasts, consequently fastening the healing process of chronic wounds. The present report describes the application of ESWT for the treatment of chronic venous ulcers in the lower limbs and compared the results with those obtained by conventional treatment on the contralateral leg.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, University of Rome "Sapienza" Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy. fioramontipaolo@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fioramonti
authors.forename: Maria Giuseppina
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Onesti
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fino
authors.forename: Nefer
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fallico
authors.forename: Nicolò
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Scuderi
mesh_terms: D001458:Bandages; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D014647:Varicose Ulcer / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*