Therapeutic Effects of Successful Angioplasty on the Aorta and Lower Limb Arteries on the Healing of Chronic Ischemic Wounds

Abstract

Background: Chronic wounds are a serious problem for the patient and can increase the socioeconomic burden on the healthcare system and community. This study aimed at investigating the effect of angioplasty on chronic ischemic wound healing.
Methods: This study was conducted in Sina Hospital, affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Thirty-eight patients with chronic ischemic wounds and a suspicion of the narrowing or blockage of arteries underwent peripheral angiography. Arteries under angioplasty in different patients comprised the aorta and the iliac, superficial femoral, popliteal, and tibial arteries. The patients were evaluated in terms of wound healing in weekly and monthly visits. Wound healing was measured based on the Bates–Jensen criteria.
Results: The patients were followed up at a median of 4.5 months. The mean age of the patients was 61.1 ± 7.5 years. Of 38 patients, 12 (31.6%) were female. The involvement of arteries on angiography consisted of 16 (42.2%) cases of total occlusion and 22 (57.8%) cases of stenosis. Following angioplasty, the level of the narrowing of arteries and the wound score showed a significant reduction in all the patients (p value < 0.001). Wound healing was observed in 29 (76.3%) patients. Hematoma, pseudoaneurysm, and thrombosis comprised the complications. No significant differences were observed in terms of age, gender, and history of risk factors between the 2 groups of wound healing and nonhealing. The wound evaluation scores before (p value = 0.044) and after (p value < 0.001) angioplasty were lower in the wound healing group than in the nonhealing group.
Conclusion: Angioplasty of the aorta and lower limb arteries improved the healing of chronic ischemic wounds in our patients.