CASE REPORT article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
Autologous Platelet-Rich Gel for Refractory Plantar Ulcer Following Ethanol Sclerotherapy of Peripheral Venous Malformation: A Case Report
Provisionally accepted
- Mianyang Central Hospital, Mianyang, China
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Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains a high concentration of growth factors that promote angiogenesis, granulation-tissue formation and re-epithelialization, thereby significantly accelerating wound healing. Autologous platelet-rich gel (APG), a gelled form of PRP, provides a sustained release of these factors within a fibrin scaffold. We report a 25-year-old woman who developed a refractory plantar ulcer with tendon exposure after combined absolute-ethanol sclerotherapy and surgical excision of a congenital venous malformation of the left foot. Reflux of the sclerosant produced microcirculatory compromise, followed by full-thickness skin necrosis. Because the plantar skin is under high tension and has a relatively poor blood supply, conventional skin grafting was deemed unlikely to succeed. APG was therefore employed as a salvage treatment. After three applications, the ulcer area had decreased by 95%, and complete epithelialization was achieved within one month without scar contracture. Both functional and cosmetic outcomes were excellent. This case illustrates that APG promotes granulation and re-epithelialization of intractable ulcers following sclerotherapy for venous malformations, which reducing the need for grafting and representing a valuable adjunct for wounds with tendon exposure and compromised perfusion.
Keywords: Autologous platelet-rich gel, Venous malformation, Refractory ulcer, growth factors, case report
Received: 13 Sep 2025; Accepted: 26 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhao, He, Chen and Tang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jie Tang
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