Clinical antimicrobial photodynamic therapy: phase II studies in chronic wounds.

Microbiologically based diseases continue to pose serious global health problems. Effective alternative treatments that are not susceptible to resistance are sorely needed, and the killing of photosensitized bacteria through photodynamic therapy (PDT) may ultimately emerge as such an option. In preclinical research and early in vivo studies, PDT has demonstrated the ability to kill an assortment of microorganisms. Antimicrobial PDT has the potential to accelerate wound healing and prevent clinical infection, particularly in patients with chronic leg ulcers. Larger trials are needed to confirm its early promise and suggest its ultimate role in caring for chronic wounds.