Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
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J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. · Dec 2000
Leg ulcers in peripheral arterial disease (arterial leg ulcers): impaired wound healing above the threshold of chronic critical limb ischemia.
Peripheral arterial disease is the only identifiable etiology in approximately 10% of leg ulcers. Clinical data on the management of these chronic wounds are scarce. ⋯ Most arterial leg ulcers do not meet the criteria of chronic critical limb ischemia, but they do not heal under conservative measures, either. A majority of these patients benefit from revascularization and should, therefore, be referred for arterial duplex ultrasound investigation or angiography. In our study, an ankle pressure below 110 mm Hg identified all patients (100%) who were subjected to revascularization procedures. However, controlled clinical studies are required to find the systolic ankle pressure and ABI below which revascularization can be recommended to speed up the healing time.