Laser Prevents Diabetes Amputation
Laser Prevents Diabetes Amputation
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Health News
New Technique May Help Restore Circulation in Diabetes Patients
Feb. 14, 2006 -- A laser technique that uses ultraviolet energy to restore blood flow to blocked arteries may help people with advanced diabetes avoid one of the most devastating complications of the disease -- amputation.
A study on the laser technique included mostly people with diabetes and those with high blood pressure at high risk for losing a limb because of severe diffuse atherosclerosis of the legs. These patients were considered poor candidates for bypass surgery -- the gold standard treatment for prevention of limb loss.
Fewer than one in 10 ended up having a foot or leg removed within six months of having the laser procedure.
Washington Hospital Center interventional cardiologist John Laird, MD, who led the study, tells WebMD that without the laser intervention as many as half of the patients would probably have lost a limb during that time.
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