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Related Experiment Videos

Laser therapy for venous leg ulcers.

K Flemming1, N Cullum

  • 1Centre for Evidence Based Nursing, University of York, Genesis 6, York Science Park, York, UK, YO10 5DQ. kaf1@york.ac.uk

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|May 5, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Low level laser therapy (LLLT) shows no significant benefit for healing venous leg ulcers. A combination of laser and infrared light may offer some improvement, but further research is required.

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Area of Science:

  • Dermatology
  • Regenerative Medicine
  • Biomedical Engineering

Background:

  • Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are chronic wounds with significant impact on patient quality of life.
  • Current treatments for VLUs have variable success rates, necessitating exploration of novel therapeutic modalities.
  • Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is a non-invasive treatment modality with potential regenerative properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of low level laser therapy (LLLT) in promoting the healing of venous leg ulcers.
  • To synthesize evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing LLLT with control interventions for VLU treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Comprehensive literature search across 19 databases, supplemented by manual searches and bibliography reviews.
  • Inclusion of RCTs comparing LLLT against sham laser, no laser, or non-coherent light, with complete ulcer healing as the primary outcome.
  • Meta-analysis was employed to combine data from homogeneous trials, with data extraction performed by two independent reviewers.

Main Results:

  • Four eligible trials were identified: two comparing LLLT to sham, one to ultraviolet therapy, and one to non-coherent red light.
  • No significant difference in healing rates was observed between LLLT and sham laser therapy in direct comparisons or pooled analysis.
  • One study indicated significantly higher complete healing rates for a combination of LLLT and infrared light compared to non-coherent red light.

Conclusions:

  • Current evidence does not support the routine use of low level laser therapy (LLLT) for improving venous leg ulcer healing.
  • A combination therapy involving LLLT and infrared light shows preliminary promise, warranting further investigation in larger, well-designed trials.
  • Additional research is necessary to elucidate the potential role of combined LLLT and infrared therapy in VLU management.

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