Therapeutic Ultrasound for Hard-to-Heal Venous Leg Ulcers

Compression bandaging is an effective treatment for most new venous leg ulcers. Larger and older ulcers are difficult to heal. In this multicenter, controlled trial, U.K. investigators assessed the effectiveness of weekly low-dose, high-frequency therapeutic ultrasound for “hard to heal” venous leg ulcers (>6 months' duration, >5 cm² area, or both). The proposed mechanisms by which therapeutic ultrasound might heal venous ulcers include thermal effects (e.g., enhancement of blood flow) and nonthermal effects (e.g., induction of cellular or enzymatic processes that might promote wound healing).

Overall, 337 patients with ≥1 hard-to-heal venous leg ulcers and normal arterial perfusion were randomized to weekly ultrasound therapy plus standard …