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Ординатура / Хирургия / Библиотека им академика М.И. Перельмана / Книга_782_Библиотеки_им_академика_М_И_Перельмана

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132 ATYPICAL CAUSES OF LEG ULCERATION
(a)
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ulceration are the medial and lateral malleolus, the foot and the Achilles’ tendon (Figure 3.7). The clinical appearance is similar to ischaemic ulceration with wounds being heavily colonised, presenting with slough and necrosis. The presence of biolms with episodes of wound infection is common. The severe pain of the ulceration isunrelated to size and is against a background of sickle cell pain from the disease process itself (see Chapter 6) and other organ complications. Ulceration may be slow and dicult to heal, with management often being challenging and complex because of the disease pathology and progression, the site of the ulcer(s) and the management challenges of SCD. Wound infection and associated pain may precipitate a sickle cell crisis that in turn has adverse impacts on wound healing.
(b)
FIGURE3.7 (a, b) Sickle cell ulceration.
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Commonly observed biomechanical changes in those with lower limb sickle cell ulceration include leg length discrepancy, calf muscle atrophy, loss of ankle range of motion and the foot xed into a position of pronation or supination. Hip necrosis may oer further complications in terms of pain and biomechanical changes (see Chapter4). Reduced ankle function is common in those with SCD ulceration due to the pain experienced; pain causes the person to adapt their gait and walk on the ball of their foot to reduce the pain and any pull of dressings (Farrelly 2018). While biomechanical changes are common in those suering from leg ulceration, Farrelly (2018) states that those with SCD present these changes in the extreme. Thus, obtaining biomechanical advice is essential for this cohort. All these factors add to the complexity of management andhealing outcomes; healing of ulceration may be up to 16 times slower compared to purely venous disease ulceration (Trent and Kirsner2004).
Management
Sickle cell management is complex and presents with various care challenges. The underlying pathology needs to be determined and medically managed by haematology. Medical management is ongoing and relates to medication and care of sickle cell crisis episodes, which will often involve acute admissions. Regular blood transfusions are appropriate and helpful for some but not all sickle cell patients. Due to the diverse range of symptoms and the dierent areas of the body that are aected, care is multidisciplinary and will involve both acute and community nursing. Besides haematology, it is common for people to be supported by vascular and specialist SCD teams, tissue viability, pain teams, social care agencies and more. Cohesive communication between the dierent professions is foundational to delivering eective and therapeutic care.
Management will draw on the principles of good leg ulcer management:
Wound management and regular debridement. See Chapter8 on
clinical management.
Compression therapy remains a cornerstone of clinical
management due to the presence of venous disease or ineective
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calf muscle pump resulting from reduced ankle range of movement. It is critical to recognise that ulceration over the forefoot or behind the malleolus in the presence of rigid ankles will reduce the ecacy of a standard compression regime. Non­healing will exacerbate pain and referral will be required to a specialist practitioner who may need to provide a more bespoke compression regime that will optimise compression at the ulcer bed.
Prevention of recurrence can be supported with hosiery, often
at- knit, and supportive or corrective footwear. See Chapter4 on biomechanical assessment and Chapter 9 on lifelong management.
Principles of management for the SCD leg or foot ulcer will be
similar to other leg ulcers.
Together with standard clinical management, it is critical to provide validation of the person’s pain, their likely struggles working with a less than perfect healthcare system and, because they are often of working age, their need to manage all these conicting priorities alongside their day job. Personalised care (see Chapter7) alongside a deep understanding of pain management and the patient’s own triggers is vital for people with sickle cell ulceration.
METABOLIC DISORDERS
Necrobiosis Lipoidica
Necrobiosis lipoidica (NL) is a rare non- infectious inammatory condition of the skin, predominantly aecting the subcutaneous tissue (Isoherranen etal.2019; Mistry etal.2017). Although NL- like lesions can be found alongside conditions such as thyroid disease, RA, sarcoidosis, inammatory bowel disease and even in otherwise healthy patients (Murray and Miller1997; Reid etal.2013), it is most associated with diabetes mellitus (DM). For this reason, it is also often referred to as necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum. Approximately 50–80% of patients with NL will have diabetes or go on to develop it, although NL only aects about 0.7% of the diabetic population (Feily and Mehraban2015; Rayner etal.2009).
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The underlying aetiology of NL is largely unknown, but is thought to relate to reduced blood ow in the microcirculation linked to diabetes, combined with an immune system/inammatory response and abnormal collagen degradation (Bonura et al. 2014; Rayner etal.2009).
History
NL is three times more common in females than males, and onset usually occurs in young to middle age (Reid etal.2013). Patients will normally present with a history of DM, although if this is not the casethen close monitoring for the onset of DM should take place, as it has been documented as a precursor to the disease (Paron and Lambert2000).
If presenting with existing ulceration/lesion, patients will normally have experienced initial signs of demarcated reddened papules and non- scaly plaques to the skin of the lower leg, most commonly to the pretibial area (Du etal. 2015). NL can occur in other areas of the body, such as the hands, face and abdomen, but this is more unusual (Reid et al. 2013). Patients may report the presence of plaques for many months or years before lesions develop (Dissemond etal.2018), with ulceration of the inammatory plaques aecting approximately 35% of patients (Nelzen et al. 1994). Ulceration can arise spontaneously, but often occurs following localised trauma.
Examination
On examination, NL may present in dierent phases of the condition. In the initial stages, papules or nodules are normally present with raised, reddened and sometimes hardened, brous edges that can then slowly coalesce into large, reddened plaques (Figure3.8). The centre of the lesions usually begins as red/brown colour evolving into a yellow/brown discoloration that can take on a waxy appearance (Reid etal.2013). The skin here is often atrophied– shiny, thin and fragile– with visible ne blood vessels. Lesions should be closely examined for signs of ulceration or potential breakdown; these should be monitored on initial examination and on follow­signs of malignant changes as the evolution of squamous cell
up for any
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FIGURE3.8 Reddened plaques to the pretibial region associated with
necrobiosis lipoidica. Source: Used with permission from Cardi & Vale University Health Board.
carcinoma (SCC) has been identied in long- standing lesions (Santos- Juanes etal.2004).
NL lesions are normally present as multiple, painless lesions aecting both lower limbs. The lesions can become very painful if an ulcer develops (Figure3.9) (Lacroix etal.2008).
Investigations
Clinical presentation and patient history are the key components to making a diagnosis of NL, although skin biopsies can be taken to conrm the diagnosis. Blood tests for diabetes may be taken where NL is suspected in patients who are not known to be diabetic (British Association of Dermatologists2019).
A vascular assessment is recommended due to the increased risk of PAD present in diabetic patients (Jecoate et al.2006). This can help to guide appropriate vascular interventions and compression therapy following diagnosis if required.
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FIGURE3.9 Ulcerated necrobiosis lipoidica.
Source: Dissemond etal. (2018) / John Wiley & Sons. Reproduced with permission.
Diagnosis
Clinical diagnosis is usually made based on the identiable skin changes seen on examination and on the evolution of these skin changes as described by the patient. If a skin biopsy has been taken to conrm a diagnosis, the histological examination would indicate granulomas and inammatory reaction around destroyed collagen, and thickening of blood vessel walls (Oakley2021). This aligns with the disease processes thought to cause the development of NL as described earlier, namely reduced blood ow, immune response and abnormal collagen degradation.
Intervention
Treatment for NL can be challenging and inconsistent due to a lack of substantial evidence to support various treatment options. If associated with diabetes, improved diabetes management and
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glycaemic control can contribute to the improvement and eventual healing of any ulcerations, although this is not always the case (Mistry etal.2017). The condition can be self- limiting, spontaneously resolving in up to 17% of cases (British Association of Dermatologists2019).
The mainstay of treatment for NL is often topical or intralesional steroid therapy, with the occasional need for oral steroids (Du etal.2015). Topical steroids should be applied to the active borders of lesions, avoiding the thin and fragile atrophic areas in the centre (Reid etal.2013). Other topical treatments and systemic medications, such as tacrolimus, pentoxifylline and phototherapy, have been used with varying results (Feily and Mehraban2015; Reid etal.2013) and would only be commenced following specialist dermatology advice.
Identifying and managing infection can be challenging but important with diabetic patients. The disease process of diabetes leads to an altered local and systemic inammatory and immune response, meaning that the incidence and severity of infection are increased in diabetic patients and innate defence is poor (Edmonds and Sumpio 2019). A diminished systemic response and other complications of diabetes, such as neuropathy and reduced blood supply to the lower limb, can lead to classic signs and symptoms of infection being lesser or absent, thus diagnosis can be delayed and progression more rapid than normal (Edmonds and Sumpio2019). Poorly controlled diabetes is also associated with an increased risk of wound infection (IWII2022). This, along with the altered response to infection with diabetes, leads to wounds being classed as at high risk of infection and so judicious prophylactic use of topical antimicrobials may be appropriate in these cases (IWII2022).
While there is no conclusive evidence on the benets of compression therapy with NL, particularly as a rst­anecdotal evidence and expert opinion have recommended it for treatment and prevention if there are no other contraindications, due to the clinical benets associated with reduced oedema and inammatory cytokines and improved microcirculation that are achieved with compression therapy (Erfurt- Berge et al. 2015; Isoherranen etal.2019; Zhang and McMullin2022). Padding of the lesions using simple gauze pads, absorbent pads or soft cotton wadding is also recommended to reduce the risk of injury and ulceration. These can be applied directly over the area of ulceration
line treatment,
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to provide protection of fragile skin and plaques, or in the case of soft cotton wadding used underneath compression therapy, applied to the lower leg as recommended by the manufacturer of the specic compression system used.
Martorell’s Ulcers
Martorell’s ulcers, sometimes referred to as Martorell hypertensive ischaemic leg ulcers (HYTILU) or due to ischaemic arteriolosclero­sis, are a rare condition that can occur in patients with prolonged, severe or sub- optimally controlled hypertension (Graves etal.2001; Mansour and Alavi2019). The eect of prolonged hypertension is to cause localised tissue ischaemia and skin infarction due to the increased resistance in blood vessels and narrowing of the arterioles (Isoherranen etal.2019).
History
Martorell’s ulcers were originally more common in females than males, particularly between the ages of 55 and 65 years, although in more recent studies males and females can be equally aected (Hafner etal.2010; Mansour and Alavi2019). Approximately 60% of patients will also have type 2 DM and 50% will have PAD (Hafner etal.2010).
Examination
Martorell’s ulcers often manifest as lower leg ulcers above or around the ankle, to the outer posterior region or over the Achilles’ tendon that gradually worsen, contain dry, necrotic tissue and are disproportionally painful to the size of the wound (Figure 3.10). Initially Martorell’s ulcers can present as dusky, painful plaques with a mottled appearance to the surrounding skin.
Investigations
Alongside assessment of the clinical presentation, a tissue biopsy is a key investigation if there is a suspicion of arteriolosclerosis linked to hypertension being the underlying cause of the ulceration. Biopsy
140 ATYPICAL CAUSES OF LEG ULCERATION
(a) (b)
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FIGURE3.10 (a) Martorell’s ulceration to the lower limb with typical dry
necrotic tissue and (b) progressing to an ulcer with a livid edge and satellite lesions. Source: King etal. (2017) / John Wiley & Sons. Reproduced with permission.
ndings would show thickening of the small–medium arterial walls and narrowing of the vessels.
A vascular assessment is also recommended due to the high inci­dence of PAD with Martorell’s ulcers to determine the need for vas­cular intervention, such as angioplasty (Isoherranen etal.2019).
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of Martorell’s ulcers must primarily be dierentiated from calciphylaxis and PG. Martorell’s ulcers are most misdiagnosed for these conditions, which can adversely aect outcomes. Treatments for each condition are signicantly dierent, and if incorrect treatments are given wounds can be exacerbated rather than
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improved. Thus, it is important to identify the correct aetiology before treatment plans are formulated. Once other typical causes of ulceration have been excluded and the histopathology results of the biopsy are supportive (usually indicated by the thickening of some layers of the arterial walls), a diagnosis of Martorell’s can be made.
Intervention
A key area of the treatment plan for this aetiology to promote wound healing involves a multidisciplinary approach to optimise anti­hypertensive medication and pain control, and to assess the need for early surgical intervention. A multidisciplinary approach to engaging with the patient will also be important if there are lifestyle issues, such as poor diet and smoking, and other co- morbidities, particularly poorly controlled diabetes, that are contributing to the challenge of controlling hypertension and increasing cardiovascular risk.
Early surgical intervention has been suggested to give the best outcomes, particularly for larger areas of ulceration, and may take the form of surgical debridement, application of negative- pressure wound therapy and, in some cases, use of split- thickness skin grafting (Dagregario and Guillet 2006; Hafner et al. 2010). While pain reduction is usually experienced quite quickly following surgical treatment, appropriate analgesia will be required up to this point and beyond as clinically indicated.
Electrostimulation, achieved through commercially available medical devices that deliver a low­dressing electrode on intact skin, has also been shown to have some success in those patients unsuitable for surgical intervention (Leloup et al. 2015). Electrostimulation is thought to encourage wound healing by promoting new blood vessels within the wound, wound debridement and increasing granulation tissue by restoring the skin’s natural electrical eld. It has also been found to be benecial for wound pain in some cases (Leloup etal.2015).
voltage electrical current via a
Calciphylaxis
Calciphylaxis is a rare and complex condition that is mostly associated with end- stage renal failure (ESRF) in patients usually receiving haemodialysis (Nigwekar et al.2018). It occurs due to