Low Intensity Pulse Ultrasound: A New Tool in the Conservative Management of Diabetic Foot Complicated by Osteomyelitis?

Cristiana Di Campli1*, Maria Chiara Collina1, Bruno Gossetti1, Elia Ricci2

1Diabetic Foot & Wound Healing Center, Istituto Dermopatico dell’Immacolata, IDI-IRCCS, Rome, taly 2Department of Surgery, Difficult Wounds Center, San Luca Clinic, Turin, Italy

^*Correspondance to: Cristiana Di Campli 

 PDF  Full Text DOI: 10.25107/2474-1647.2732

Abstract

At least 60% of diabetic foot ulcers are complicated by an infection that represents the main cause for major lower limb amputation in these patients. When osteomyelitis is present, surgical treatments and a long antibiotic therapy are required in order to ensure a complete healing, even if these therapies present with limitations due to deficiency in foot perfusion, renal failure and patient’s general conditions. Since LIPUS (Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound) is able to apply a mechanical stress to the bone, promoting bone formation and is not associated to any known potential adverse sequelae in this study we aimed to try the LIPUS in patients affected by non healing DFO in order to demonstrate a beneficial effect on clinical and radiological healing. Fifteen patients with at least six months non-healing DFO (Diabetic Foot Osteomyelitis) already treated according to standard therapies have been consecutively enrolled. Patients have been submitted to 20 min daily treatment at 30 mW/cm2 for 90 days. All but one patient reached a complete wound healing at the end of the treatment with a corresponding positive impact on bone healing. In the remaining cases a clinical improvement of ulcer was observed. If confirmed by larger studies, our results demonstrated that LIPUS may be able to accelerate the ulcer and the bone healing and may, then, be considered a low-impact, safe and easy-to-use adjuvant therapy in the armamentarium of DFO.

Keywords

Osteomyelitis; Diabetic foot; Low intensity pulse ultrasound

Cite the article

Di Campli C, Collina MC, Gossetti B, Ricci E. Low Intensity Pulse Ultrasound: A New Tool in the Conservative Management of Diabetic Foot Complicated by Osteomyelitis?. Clin Surg. 2020; 5: 2732.