Extracorporeal shockwave therapy ‘worthy of consideration’ for diabetic foot ulcer treatment

A new study has confirmed that extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) could be beneficial for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer.

The latest research set out to further understanding of the effectiveness of ESWT in promoting microcirculation in diabetic foot ulcer (DFU).

A team from Korea University College of Medicine and Korea Institute of Science and Technology ran a study which included 50 feet of 25 patients with type 2 diabetes and Wagner grade I to II DFU. The affected feet were used as the ESWT group and the unaffected contralateral feet were used as the control group.

The team reported: “ESWT was performed in 3 sessions per week for a total of 3 weeks. Transcutaneous partial oxygen pressure (TcPO2) was used to evaluate the tissue microcirculation. The TcPO2 level (>43 mm Hg) in the ESWT group was recovered by the second week of treatment, and statistical significance (P < .05) was demonstrated at the same time. From the second week of ESWT, a significant increase in TcPO2 was observed in Wagner grade I and II DFU.”

They concluded: “The results of the present study confirmed that ESWT significantly increased microcirculation in DFU and could be beneficial for the treatment of DFU. In addition, a period of ESWT application of at least 2 weeks or more than 6 sessions may be considered for the treatment of DFU with Wagner grades I and II.

“Therefore, since ESWT is a safe and effective method for treating DFU, it is worthy of active consideration as a standard treatment for DFU.”

The researchers noted that for better comparison, further studies with larger clinical groups and extended time periods are needed.

Read the study in full here.

 

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