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Medical leech therapy in plastic reconstructive surgery

Blutegeltherapie in der plastischen rekonstruktiven Chirurgie

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Summary

The use of Hirudo medicinalis in clinical practice has increased in recent years. The primary indication in plastic surgery has traditionally been venous congestion. However, other reported clinical applications were in varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, and osteoarthritis. In this review, we summarize recent data elucidating the role that medicinal leeches play in the field of plastic surgery.

Zusammenfassung

Die Verwendung von Hirudo medicinalis in der klinischen Praxis hat in den letzten Jahren zugenommen. Die primäre Indikation in der plastischen Chirurgie ist traditionell die venöse Stauung. Darüber hinaus sind weitere klinische Anwendungen bei Krampfadern, Thrombophlebitis, und Osteoarthritis bekannt. In dieser Übersicht fassen wir die jüngsten Daten zusammen und erläutern die Rolle, die die medizinischen Blutegel auf dem Gebiet der plastischen Chirurgie spielen.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by a grant from the Karl and Veronica Carstens Foundation, Essen, Germany.

Ethical approval

Ethical approval was not required for this study.

Conflict of interest

No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, USA

    Khosrow S. Houschyar MD, Arash Momeni MD, Zeshaan N. Maan MBBS, MRCS, Malcolm N. Pyles, Olivia S. Jew & Marion Strathe

  2. Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Bergmannstrost Halle, Merseburger Str. 165, 06112, Halle, Germany

    Khosrow S. Houschyar MD

  3. Department of Internal and Complementary Medicine, Immanuel Hospital Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Andreas Michalsen MD

Authors
  1. Khosrow S. Houschyar MD
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  2. Arash Momeni MD
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  3. Zeshaan N. Maan MBBS, MRCS
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  4. Malcolm N. Pyles
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  5. Olivia S. Jew
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  6. Marion Strathe
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  7. Andreas Michalsen MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Khosrow S. Houschyar MD.

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Houschyar, K., Momeni, A., Maan, Z. et al. Medical leech therapy in plastic reconstructive surgery. Wien Med Wochenschr 165, 419–425 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10354-015-0382-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10354-015-0382-5

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