Topical autologous platelets have no significant adjuvant effect on healing of chronic venous leg ulcers and increased wound fluid TIMP-1 concentration. Ulcer healing is associated with a decrease in wound fluid IL-8.

A quantitative method of skin healing assessment using true color image processing is presented. The method was developed during a clinical trial using healthy volunteers, the goal of which was to study a drug for accelerating healing. Photographic images of the skin were sequentially acquired between day 1 and day 12 after pure painless epidermal wounds. The images were digitized in controlled conditions using a color video camera connected to a computer system. A color threshold based segmentation was developed to provide an operator-independent delineation of the wound. Two healing indexes were built measuring, the wound area and the wound color. The method was implemented in a software system allowing a fully automated determination of the healing indexes. The method provides a new quantitative global assessment of healing kinetics. It is noninvasive and well suited for multicentric clinical trials.

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