Use of cryopreserved human amniotic membrane in the treatment of skin ulcers secondary to calciphylaxis.

ABSTRACT

Calciphylaxis is a rare condition characterized by skin ulceration and necrosis as a result of vascular calcification of the small and medium blood vessels of skin and subcutaneous tissues. It mainly occurs in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease and sometimes leads to complications with a fatal outcome. In this report, we describe the case of a 67-year-old male patient with end stage renal disease presenting painful skin ulcers on his lower limbs. The lesions had progressively grown and were associated to severe pain and decreased quality of life. The ulcers did not respond to conventional treatments and the patient underwent skin biopsy of these lesions obtaining anatomopathological findings compatible with calciphylaxis. In this report, we present an innovative treatment for skin ulcers secondary to calciphylaxis using cryopreserved amniotic membrane (AM) as a dressing in order to promote epithelialization of the wounds. After four applications, healing of the main ulcer and reduction in pain was achieved. In summary, applying cryopreserved AM probed to be a promising strategy to reduce pain and to enhance epithelialization and healing of chronic non-responsive ulcers in calciphylaxis.