Therapeutic Effectiveness of Leukocyte- and Platelet-rich Fibrin for Diabetic Foot Ulcers: A Retrospective Study.

Abstract

Objective: Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is one of the most serious complications of diabetes. Leukocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) is a second-generation autologous platelet-rich plasma. This study aims to investigate the clinical effects of L-PRF in patients with diabetes in real clinical practice.

Methods: Patients with DFU who received L-PRF treatment and standard of care (SOC) from 2018 to 2019 in Tongji Hospital were enrolled. The clinical information including patient characteristics, wound evaluation (area, severity, infection, blood supply), SOC of DFU, and images of ulcers was retrospectively extracted and analyzed. L-PRF treatment was performed every 7±2 days until the ulcer exhibited complete epithelialization or an overall percent volume reduction (PVR) greater than 80%. Therapeutic effectiveness, including overall PVR and the overall and weekly healing rates, was evaluated.

Results: Totally, 26 patients with DFU were enrolled, and they had an ulcer duration of 47.0 (35.0, 72.3) days. The severity and infection of ulcers varied, as indicated by the Site, Ischemia, Neuropathy, Bacterial Infection, and Depth (SINBAD) scores of 2-6, Wagner grades of 1-4, and the Perfusion, Extent, Depth, Infection and Sensation (PEDIS) scores of 2-4. The initial ulcer volume before L-PRF treatment was 4.94 (1.50, 13.83) cm³, and the final ulcer volume was 0.35 (0.03, 1.76) cm³. The median number of L-PRF doses was 3 (2, 5). A total of 11 patients achieved complete epithelialization after the fifth week of treatment, and 19 patients achieved at least an 80% volume reduction after the seventh week. The overall wound-healing rate was 1.47 (0.63, 3.29) cm³/week, and the healing rate was faster in the first 2 weeks than in the remaining weeks. Concurrent treatment did not change the percentage of complete epithelialization or healing rate.

Conclusion: Adding L-PRF to SOC significantly improved wound healing in patients with DFU independent of the ankle brachial index, SINBAD score, or Wagner grade, indicating that this method is appropriate for DFU treatment under different clinical conditions.