Maggot debridement therapy.

AIM

To establish a maggot debridement therapy unit and assess efficacy of this method in chronic conservative non-treatable leg ulcers in patient in whom conventional therapy failed.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

From August 2004 to December 2005 we treated with Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) 10 patients, 6 men and 4 women, with 13 leg ulcers treated first with conventional and then with maggot therapy. Average age of these patients was 55 years, 11 wounds were of venous and 2 of arterial origin. 7 patients had diabetes mellitus.

RESULTS

1 patient with arterial ulcers underwent supracondylar amputation, 2 patients were re-admitted for recurrent ulcers, one extremely obese patient with cardiovascular co-morbidity did not heal, but all other ulcers have been healed, cleared or minimised during 4-8 week MDT. We observed massive growth of granulation tissue and microbiological cleaning of these wounds. No adverse effects were observed.

CONCLUSION

Maggot therapy was more effective and efficient in debriding non-healing leg ulcers than a conservative treatment (Fig. 3, Ref. 6).