The rationale of our study was to test the potential of the autologous elements of
peripheral white blood cells and platelets to promote neoangiogenesis, thereby overcoming
hypoxemia, the major obstacle to the regeneration of the tissue.
An highly innovative technique, based on an autologous leuco-platelet preparation,
applied by direct infiltration to the ulcer was employed to treat 65 patients with
ulcers of different etiologies. Hyaluronic acid was used as a scaffold, supplemented
with autologous cells. Patients were followed up until complete healing of the
lesions. Morphometric analysis was perfomed on histologic sections to determine the
presence of neoangiogenesis.
The wound healing was obtained in all cases after 2 until 22 months with this
treatment (median time is 11.4 months). More than half of the patients recovered
completely within the first 12 months. Morphometric analysis on histologic sections
determined the presence of an abundant neovasculature in the close proximity of the
infiltrations of leuco-platelet concentrate.
Our data show that autologous leucoplatelet preparation layered onto ischemic
ulcers may improve neoangiogenesis leading to wound healing. These findings suggest
that this cell-based therapy may be a useful tool for the treatment for intractable
skin ulcers resulting from diabetes, ischemia and collagen diseases
