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Pentoxifylline for treating venous leg ulcersJull AB, Arroll B, Parag V, Waters J
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SummaryPentoxifylline for treating venous leg ulcers.Venous leg ulcers are a common, recurring and disabling condition. The mainstay of treatment is the use of firm compression bandages or stockings to support the veins of the leg. Some leg ulcers take many months or years to heal and treatment is aimed at preventing infection and speeding up healing. Pentoxifylline is a tablet taken to improve blood circulation. The review of trials suggests that pentoxifylline, 400 mg tablet taken three times a day, increases the chance of healing.
This is a Cochrane review abstract and plain language summary, prepared and maintained by The Cochrane Collaboration, currently published in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010 Issue 1, Copyright © 2010 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.. The full text of the review is available in The Cochrane Library (ISSN 1464-780X).
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April 24. 2000 AbstractBackgroundHealing of venous leg ulcers is improved by the use of compression bandaging but some venous ulcers remain unhealed, and some people are unsuitable for compression therapy. Pentoxifylline, a drug which helps blood flow, has been used to treat venous leg ulcers. ObjectivesTo assess the effects of pentoxifylline (oxpentifylline or Trental 400) for treating venous leg ulcers, compared with a placebo or other therapies, in the presence or absence of compression therapy. Search strategyFor this third update we searched the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register (searched 13/5/09); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) - The Cochrane Library Issue 2 2009; Ovid MEDLINE (1950 to May Week 1 2009); Ovid EMBASE (1980 to 2009 Week 19); EBSCO CINAHL (1982 to May Week 2 2009) and checked reference lists of relevant articles. Selection criteriaRandomised trials comparing pentoxifylline with placebo or other therapy in the presence or absence of compression, in people with venous leg ulcers. Data collection and analysisOne review author extracted and summarised details from eligible trials using a coding sheet. One other review author independently verified data extraction. Main resultsWe included twelve trials involving 864 participants. The quality of trials was variable. Eleven trials compared pentoxifylline with placebo or no treatment. Pentoxifylline is more effective than placebo in terms of complete ulcer healing or significant improvement (RR 1.70, 95% CI 1.30 to 2.24). Pentoxifylline plus compression is more effective than placebo plus compression (RR 1.56, 95% CI 1.14 to 2.13). Pentoxifylline in the absence of compression appears to be more effective than placebo or no treatment (RR 2.25, 95% CI 1.49 to 3.39). More adverse effects were reported in people receiving pentoxifylline (RR 1.56, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.22). Nearly three-quarters (72%) of the reported adverse effects were gastrointestinal. Authors' conclusionsPentoxifylline is an effective adjunct to compression bandaging for treating venous ulcers and may be effective in the absence of compression. The majority of adverse effects were gastrointestinal disturbances. |