Treatment of leg ulcers with cultured epithelial autografts: clinical study and case reports

Leg ulcers are a significant medical problem in the United States. The number of affected patients at any given time is staggering. Treatment modalities have widely varied and are often unsuccessful. We evaluated the effectiveness of cultured epithelial autografts in the treatment of leg ulcers due to various etiologies that had failed other standard therapy. Eighty-six ulcers in 36 patients were treated with cultured epithelial autografts after full evaluation of their ulcers. The ulcers were grouped by etiology and healing was assessed by time to healing, number of ulcers healed and mean number of graft applications. The results achieved in the past five years have shown that cultured epithelial autografts are highly effective in treating chronic leg ulcers. Eighty percent of venous insufficiency ulcers healed in 5.7 weeks. Similar results were seen with ulcers of other etiologies including arterial insufficiency, pyoderma gangrenosum, scleroderma, and vasculitis. Positive results were seen in cases where other treatment methods had failed and seems independent of systemic corticosteroids.