Background: the treatment of venous leg ulcers still poses a difficult interdisciplinary medical problem. The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of local hyperbaric oxygen therapy with local ozone therapy in the treatment of venous leg ulcers.
Materials: this study included 114 patients; 60 males (52.63%) and 54 females (47.36%) of ages ranging between 39 and 88 years (mean age: 68.9 ± 9.8 years) with venous leg ulcers, who underwent topical hyperbaric oxygen therapy (group I) and local ozone therapy (group II). In each of the study groups, the patients underwent 30 therapeutic procedures lasting 30 min each. The progress in wound healing was evaluated by computerized planimetry, and the intensity of pain was assessed with the use of the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).
Results: in both groups of treated patients, a statistically significant (p = 0.000001) reduction in the area of treated ulcers was achieved. In group I, the wound area decreased by an average of 69.67 ± 22.52%, from 7.55 ± 2.99 cm2 to 2.78 ± 2.43 cm2, and in group II, by an average of 41.33 ± 21.31%, from 7.36 ± 2.82 cm2 to 4.62 ± 2.76 cm2. In both groups of patients, a statistically significant (p = 0.000001) reduction in the intensity of pain ailments was observed: in group I, by an average of 0.55 ± 0.54 points, and in group II, by an average of 2.33 ± 0.82 points on the VAS scale.
Conclusions: local hyperbaric oxygen therapy and local ozone therapy cause a statistically significant reduction in the surface area of venous leg ulcers as well as in the intensity of pain. Better results were observed after the application of local hyperbaric oxygen therapy procedures.
Keywords: chronic wounds; hyperbaric oxygen therapy; local ozone therapy; pain intensity; ulcer surface area; venous leg ulcers.