Treatment of recalcitrant diabetic foot ulcers using trichloroacetic acid

Background: despite using different treatment modalities, treatment of diabetic foot ulcer is still a very important challenge. in this case series, we report successful treatment of 6 patients with resistant diabetic ulcers using topical application of trichloroacetic acid (tca). methods: six patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus received standard treatment for 6 weeks. tca 70% was applied to the periphery of the ulcer while tca 50% was applied to the center of the ulcer every week until the first significant reepithelialization was observed. results: all wounds in all 6 treated patients were improved after a mean duration of 7.5 ± 0.83 weeks. in fact, significant reductions were observed in the areas and infection scores of the ulcers. conclusions: the range of improvement efficacy ranged from 68.6% to 100% with no complications after 1, 2, and 3 months of follow-up. the observed efficacy of tca on diabetic ulcer healing is due to production of granulation tissue and epithelial cells.