Acta Medica Medianae
Vol. 49, No1, March, 2009
UDK 61
YU ISSN 0365-4478
 

Correspondence to:

Vesna Karanikolć

Klinika za kožne bolesti KC Niš Bul. dr Z. Đindića 48

18000 Niš

E-mail: pean@ptt.rs

Original article
UDC: 616.14-007.64-086-036.8

EVALUATION OF PROGNOSTIC FACTORS RELATED TO HEALING OF VENOUS ULCERATIONS OF LOWER EXTREMITIES 

Vesna Karanikolić¹, Dejan Petrović², Milenko Stanojević¹, Aleksandar Karanikolić³ and Danijela Popović¹

                        Clinic for dermatology Clinical center Niš¹

                        Treatment and rehabilitation institute Niška banja²

                        Clinic for general surgery Clinical center Niš³

Venous ulcerations occur in 1% of human population, being more frequent in the population over 65 years of age. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic factors related to healing of venous ulcerations of the lower extremities treated with multi-layer bandage.

The research was based on the prospective randomized study conducted at the Outpatient Clinic for Dermal and Sexual Diseases and Medical Center in Doljevac during the period from 2007 until 2008. The research involved a group of 50 patients of both sexes with venous ulcerations of the lower extremities. Patients were followed up for 24 weeks from the beginning of the treatment.

Out of a total of 50 patients, 30 (60%) were of female sex and 20 (40%) of male sex. The mean age of the patients was 63.3±6.32 years. In thirteen patients (26%), there was no complete healing of chronical venous ulcerations. Locoregional characteristics of ulcerative changes indicated no significant difference in the average number of ulcers, their localization, duration, and average surface. The analysis made by Kendall’s tau_b correlation coefficient showed that sex and localization had no significant correlation with the healing of ulcerative changes. Infection and swelling of the lower leg showed poor but significant positive correlation with a change in the healing rate (p<0.05). Pearson's correlation coefficient showed a significant positive correlation between the number (C=0.5) and surface (C=0.7) of ulcerative changes with the healing rate (p<0.001).

Venous ulceration treatment is a big social and medical problem. The number and surface of ulcerative changes present the most important healing prognostic factors. Acta Medica Medianae 2010;49(1):22-26.

Key words: venous ulcerations, healing rate, prognostic factor