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Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of cadexomer on reducing wound surface area of leg ulcers compared to that obtained in a group patients whose ulcers were treated by compression therapy., Methods: For each ulcer group, wound surface area was calculated at day 0 and after 28 days of treatment: this allowed to calculate the average wound surface area reduction, the percent reduction in wound size, as well as the weekly wound size reduction index., Results: In the cadexomer-treated ulcers the total wound area reduction was 9.67 cm(2)/week, with a weekly wound size reduction index per patient of 0.96 cm(2); in the controls (compression therapy-treated patients) the total wound area reduction was 6.11 cm(2)/week, with a weekly reduction index per patient of 0.61 cm(2). At the end of treatment, in the group of patients whose ulcers were treated with cadexomer ointment the average wound size reduction was 43%, whereas in the control-treated patient group the average wound size reduction was 28%., Conclusion: These data suggest that cadexomer can play an important role in the healing of chronic leg ulcers.

The authors analyse the short-term and medium-term effects of iloprost prostanoid derivate on hemostatic status in a group of patients with obliterating vascular disease of the lower limbs. The study included 10 patients (6 males, 4 females; aged 52 + 5 years old) suffering from Fontaine's stage 3 obstructive arterial disease. After a 10-hour fast each patient received a 6-hour iv infusion of iloprost at a dose of 2 ng/kg/min (approx 50 gamma) a venous blood sample was collected before and after infusion. The test was repeated using the same method after 4 weeks of treatment with the same dose of the drug. The following parameters were analysed in serum: fibrinogen (F) (IL coagulometric method), Factor VII (F VII) (IL coagulometric method), antithrombin II (AT III) (IL chromogenic method), protein C (PC) II coagulometric method) and protein S (PS) (IL coagulometric method). After the first infusion a significant increase was observed in AT III (p > 0.05), whereas other indices showed no significant variations. After treatment for 4 weeks AT III was again enhanced after infusion (p > 0.05); with regard to the basal values of other parameters, a significant reduction (p > 0.05) was found in F VII, whereas no other significant changes were observed. In the light of these results the authors suggest an antithrombotic effect of the drug documented by the short-term increase in AT III probably due to lower consumption, and a medium-term reduction in F VII due to trophic effect of the drug at a vasculoparietal level resulting in the depression of FVII tissue activation factors.