The role of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) on the treatment of pyoderma gangrenosum: A systematic review and personal experience

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare painful ulcerative neutrophilic inflammatory skin disease, necessitating a high level of diagnostic suspicion associated with appropriate treatment to avoid progression. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been efficiently used in the treatment of different types of wounds. However, the role of NPWT in the management of PG is still controversial, due to the risk of the pathergy phenomenon. In this article, we conducted a systematic review (according to the PRISMA guidelines) on the use of NPWT in the treatment of PG, and we report our personal experience with two patients treated with this device. The result of the review showed that articles on the topic are, in their entirety, of low levels of evidence, such as case series, case reports, and reviews. Improvement in wound healing with the use of NPWT was observed in 85.1% of the patients studied. Besides, a significant association between improvement in wound healing with NPWT and immunosuppressive therapy was observed. Regarding the cases reported here, both showed good outcomes with the use of NPWT and skin graft during the treatment of PG injuries. Due to the rarity of PG, there is a scarcity of studies with robust evidence for standardization and comparison between treatments, which consequently makes it difficult to select therapeutic options. However, based on this systematic review and reported cases, we consider NPWT a safe option for adjuvant treatment of wounds caused by PG if combined with systemic immunosuppression, which plays a key role in greater chances of successful treatment. This approach should be recommended, whenever possible, associated with skin grafting to accelerate wound closure. The role of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) on the treatment of pyoderma gangrenosum: a systematic review and personal experience.

Surgical Treatment of Pyoderma Gangrenosum with Negative Pressure Wound Therapy and Skin Grafting, Including Xenografts: Personal Experience and Comprehensive Review on 161 Cases

Significance: Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare debilitating autoinflammatory ulcerative skin disease. No gold standard has been established for the treatment of PG. The role of surgical interventions and negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) was discussed controversially until recently as these procedures might pose a trigger to further aggravate the condition. Recent Advances: Recent advances confirm the paradigm change that a surgical approach of PG with split thickness skin grafting (STSG) secured by NPWT is a safe and valuable treatment if performed under adequate immunosuppression. We elaborate this on the hand of a broad literature search retrieving 101 relevant articles describing 138 patients complemented with our personal experience on 23 patients, including 2 patients treated with a porcine xenodressing. Critical Issues: A wide range of surgical approaches have been reported, including xenografts. Treatment was finally successful in 86%, including the xenotransplant cases. Ten percent improved and failures were mainly reported without immunosuppression. Despite halting the inflammatory process, NPWT alone, without skin grafting, does not much accelerate healing time. The best surgical approach appears to be STSG fixed with NPWT as this leads to higher skin graft take. There remains the problem of the chronic nature of PG and the recurrence after tapering of immunosuppression or trauma; therefore, a sustained immunosuppressive treatment is suggested. Future Directions: While surgical treatment is supported by the published data, the exact immunosuppression is still evolving. Due to deeper insights into pathogenesis and growing clinical reports, a broader utilization of biologic treatments and a shift from tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha to interleukin (IL)-12/23 or IL-23 antibodies alone are predictable, as IL-12/23 antibodies show good clinical responses with fewer side effects. The positive results with porcine xenodressings might be due to immunological effects of the xenomaterial; they appear promising, but are preliminary and should be confirmed in a larger patient collective.