[Treatment of venous ulcers with low frequency pulsed current (Dermapulse): effects on cutaneous microcirculation]

Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is characterised by stage-dependent microangiopathy. With increasing severity there is a decrease in the number of skin capillaries and the oxygen partial pressure. The cutaneous vascular reserve, which is measured by laser-doppler fluxmetry, is reduced. Cutaneous microangiopathy is one of the main causes of the trophic disturbances associated with CVI. Low frequency pulsed current improves cutaneous microcirculation and thus nutrition as well as accelerating the formation of granulation tissue. In a open prospective pilot study, 15 patients suffering from CVI with persistent leg ulcers were treated with low frequency pulsed current (Dermapulse), which is thought to improve particularly the tissue microcirculation. The average age of the patients was 70.3 years and the average duration of ulceration was 79.1 months. The patients were treated over a period of 38 days. With this treatment, 2 ulcers healed completely and 13 showed a reduction of size of on average 63%. Capillary density increased by 43.5%, while transcutaneous oxygen partial pressure increased by 82.4%. Electrostimulation is a treatment with few or no side effects.