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  • Title: Autologous full-thickness skin substitute for healing chronic wounds.
    Author: Gibbs S, van den Hoogenband HM, Kirtschig G, Richters CD, Spiekstra SW, Breetveld M, Scheper RJ, de Boer EM.
    Journal: Br J Dermatol; 2006 Aug; 155(2):267-74. PubMed ID: 16882162.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: Chronic wounds represent a major problem to our society. Therefore, advanced wound-healing strategies for the treatment of these wounds are expanding into the field of tissue engineering. OBJECTIVES: To develop a novel tissue-engineered, autologous, full-thickness skin substitute of entirely human origin and to determine its ability to heal chronic wounds. METHODS: Skin substitutes (fully differentiated epidermis on fibroblast-populated human dermis) were constructed from 3-mm punch biopsies isolated from patients to be treated. Acellular allodermis was used as a dermal matrix. After a prior 5-day vacuum-assisted closure therapy to prepare the wound bed, skin substitutes were applied in a simple one-step surgical procedure to 19 long-standing recalcitrant leg ulcers (14 patients; ulcer duration 0.5-50 years). RESULTS: The success rate in culturing biopsies was 97%. The skin substitute visibly resembled an autograft. Eleven of the 19 ulcers (size 1-10 cm2) healed within 8 weeks after a single application of the skin substitute. The other eight larger (60-150 cm2) and/or complicated ulcers healed completely (n = 5) or continued to decrease substantially in size (n = 3) after the 8-week follow-up period. Wound healing occurred by direct take of the skin substitute (n = 12) and/or stimulation of granulation tissue/epithelialization (n = 7). Skin substitutes were very well tolerated and pain relief was immediate after application. CONCLUSIONS: Application of this novel skin substitute provides a promising new therapy for healing chronic wounds resistant to conventional therapies.
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