Anke Strölin

Associated factors and comorbidities in patients with pyoderma gangrenosum in Germany: a retrospective multicentric analysis in 259 patients

BackgroundPyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rarely diagnosed ulcerative neutrophilic dermatosis with unknown origin that has been poorly characterized in clinical studies so far. Consequently there have been significant discussions about its associated factors and comorbidities. The aim of our multicenter study was to analyze current data from patients in dermatologic wound care centers in Germany in order to describe associated factors and comorbidities in patients with PG.MethodsRetrospective clinical investigation of patients with PG from dermatologic wound care centers in Germany.ResultsWe received data from 259 patients with PG from 20 different dermatologic wound care centers in Germany. Of these 142 (54.8%) patients were female, 117 (45.2%) were male; with an age range of 21 to 95 years, and a mean of 58 years. In our patient population we found 45.6% with anemia, 44.8% with endocrine diseases, 12.4% with internal malignancies, 9.3% with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases and 4.3% with elevated creatinine levels. Moreover 25.5% of all patients had a diabetes mellitus with some aspects of potential association with the metabolic syndrome.ConclusionsOur study describes one of the world’s largest populations with PG. Beside the well-known association with chronic bowel diseases and neoplasms, a potentially relevant new aspect is an association with endocrine diseases, in particular the metabolic syndrome, thyroid dysfunctions and renal disorders. Our findings represent clinically relevant new aspects. This may help to describe the patients’ characteristics and help to understand the underlying pathophysiology in these often misdiagnosed patients.

Multicentre prospective observational study on professional wound care using honey (Medihoney

In recent years, the treatment of wounds with honey has received an increasing amount of attention from healthcare professionals in Germany and Austria. We conducted a prospective observational multicentre study using Medihoney™ dressings in 10 hospitals – nine in Germany and one in Austria. Wound‐associated parameters were monitored systematically at least three times in all patients. Data derived from the treatment of 121 wounds of various aetiologies over a period of 2 years were analysed. Almost half of the patients were younger than 18 years old, and 32% of the study population was oncology patients. Overall, wound size decreased significantly during the study period and many wounds healed after relatively short time periods. Similarly, perceived pain levels decreased significantly, and the wounds showed noticeably less slough/necrosis. In general, our findings show honey to be an effective and feasible treatment option for professional wound care. In addition, our study showed a relationship between pain and slough/necrosis at the time of recruitment and during wound healing. Future comparative trials are still needed to evaluate the extent to which the positive observations made in this and other studies can definitely be attributed to the effects of honey in wound care.

Wavelet analysis of skin perfusion in healthy volunteers.

Objective: Rhythmical changes in microvascular perfusion of the skin depend on various influences, which appear continuously but not in a predictable manner. For identifying and quantifying different physiological influences the authors used wavelet transformation, analyzing continuously and simultaneously measured data.

Anticoagulation with rivaroxaban for livedoid vasculopathy (RILIVA): a multicentre, single-arm, open-label, phase 2a, proof-of-concept trial

BACKGROUND Livedoid vasculopathy is a thrombotic skin disease characterised by recurrent occlusion of the cutaneous microcirculation in lower extremities, which results in skin infarctions with painful ulcerations and irreversible scar formation. Rivaroxaban is a direct factor Xa inhibitor that prevents thrombus formation. We investigated whether rivaroxaban is effective for the treatment of livedoid vasculopathy. METHODS We did this single-arm, open-label, multicenter, phase 2a, proof-of concept trial at three university hospitals in Germany. Patients with livedoid vasculopathy and a minimum pain score of 40 on the visual analogue scale were eligible to participate. Patients received oral rivaroxaban tablets for 12 weeks at an initial dose of 10 mg twice per day, which was reduced to once per day if a reduction of pain by 50% on the visual analogue scale was achieved. Subcutaneous enoxaparin at 1 mg per kg bodyweight once or twice per day was allowed as a backup treatment in case of insufficient efficacy and increased pain. The primary endpoint was change in pain on the visual analogue scale from baseline to 12 weeks. Efficacy was assessed in the intention-to-treat population and safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of study drug. This trial is registered with the EU Clinical Trials Register, EudraCT number 2012-000108-13-DE, and is closed to new participants. FINDINGS Between Dec 28, 2012, and April 24, 2014, 36 patients were screened, 28 patients were recruited for the study, and 25 patients received treatment. During treatment, five patients dropped out of the study because of withdrawal of consent (one patient), lack of compliance (one patient), violation of inclusion criteria (two patients), and a serious adverse event (one patient). Median pain on the visual analogue scale decreased from 65·0 (IQR 52·0-78·0) at baseline to 6·0 (1·0-14·0) after 12 weeks of treatment (p<0·0001). Six of the 20 patients required additional treatment with enoxaparin. Eight treatment-related adverse events were recorded in six (24%) of the 25 patients: five cases of menorrhagia including one classified as both menorrhagia and dysmenorrhoea, one case of dyspnoea, and one case of gingival bleeding. The only serious adverse reaction to rivaroxaban during the study was one case of menorrhagia in a patient with concomitant endometriosis, which resulted in study discontinuation. INTERPRETATION Rivaroxaban seems to effectively reduce pain in livedoid vasculopathy. Therefore we suggest that rivaroxaban with enoxaparin as a backup treatment is a suitable treatment option for patients with livedoid vasculopathy. FUNDING Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and Bayer Vital.

Response of Ulcerated Necrobiosis Lipoidica to Clofazimine

© 2009 The Authors. doi: 10.2340/00015555-0722 Journal Compilation

Squamous cell carcinomas in chronic venous leg ulcers. Data of the German Marjolin Registry and review

Secondary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a rare complication of chronic venous leg ulcers. So far, little is known about its pathophysiology and clinical behavior. Initiated by the working group “Wound Healing” (AGW) of the German Society of Dermatology (DDG), it is the objective of the current Marjolin registry to collect cases of SCC arising in venous ulcers, in order to evaluate diagnostic characteristics.

Influence of controlled vascular training on the pain free walking distance and plasmaviscosity in patients suffering from peripheral arterial occlusive disease

Does controlled vascular training influence plasmaviscosity and the pain free walking distance in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (paod) Fontaine stage II?37 patients, 24 men and 13 women with a mean age of 64.5 years SD 8.5 took part in ambulant vascular training over a period of 12 months.Before, after 6 months and after 12 months, pain free (pfwd) and maximum walking distance (mwd) was measured using a standardized treadmill program. Also ankle-brachials systolic pressure index (a-bspi), transcutaneous oxygen tension (tcPO2) and plasmaviscosity (pv) were measured.Pfwd increased from 212 SD 143 m to 371 SD 249 m (p<0.02). TcPO2 increased during training, but without statistically significance. A-bspi increased between the first 6 months of training statistically significant. Before training pv was 1.31 mPa s SD 0.10, after training period of 6 months it was 1.27 mPa s SD 0.11 (p=0.06) and 12 months later it was 1.28 SD 0.11 mPa s (p=0.35). The improvement of pfwd and the decrease of pv correlates (r=-0.39, p=0.05).In most patients, arterial vascular training improves pfwd and mwd. Simultaneously to the increase of the walking distances plasmaviscosity decreases and crurobrachial indexes increases. We found a coupling between improvement of pfwd and pv. Pv seems to participate in improvement of leg hemodynamics in patients with paod.

Wavelet analysis of laser Doppler flux time series of tumor and inflammatory associated neoangiogenesis. Differences in rhythmical behavior

We use continuous wavelet analysis (WA) of Laser Doppler Flux (LDF) time series measured in basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and plaque psoriasis (PP) in order to investigate the rhythmical behavior of blood flow in tumor or inflammatory associated neoangiogenesis.A total of 68 patients with primary BCCs and 40 patients with PP were included in the study. LDF time series were separated in four scaling levels corresponding to the influences of sympathetic activity (SL1), myogenic activity in the vessel wall (SL2), respiration (SL3) and heart beat (SL4).In BCC, SL1 decreased compared to healthy skin. In all other scaling levels, we found a statistically significant increase of the SLs compared to healthy skin. These increases were not found in PP.Rhythmical behavior of blood flow in malignant tumors is totally different from that in regions with inflammation. In BCCs, thermoregulatory processes, ascribed to sympathetic activity, decrease statistically significant. In contrast, inflammatory processes in PP do not substantially change sympathetic activity. WA of tumor perfusion could open a new noninvasive monitor system for controlling tumor therapy.

Plattenepithelkarzinome in chronischen venösen Ulcera crurum. Daten aus dem deutschen Marjolin‐Register und Übersichtsdarstellung

Das sekundäre Plattenepithelkarzinom (engl. squamous cell carcinoma, SCC) ist eine seltene Komplikation bei chronischem Ulcus cruris venosum. Über seine Pathophysiologie und den klinischen Verlauf ist bislang wenig bekannt. Das aktuelle Marjolin‐Register geht aus einer Initiative der Arbeitsgruppe „Wundheilung“ (AGW) der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft (DDG) hervor und erfasst Fälle von aus venösen Ulcera hervorgehenden Plattenepithelkarzinomen mit dem Ziel der Beurteilung diagnostischer Merkmale.