Neuropathic ulcer is one of the most stigmatical sequels of leprosy. Its presence is very disabling to the patient, and can cause deformity and/or amputation of the affected limb. Different methods of treatments have been used in the ulcers management, but the results are frequently dissatisfactory, resulting in many people living with chronic wounds for a long time. Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) is used in many services to accelerate wound healing, but its results are controversial, and several published works are inconclusive. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of LLLT on wound healing of leprosy patients in a randomized clinical trial. This study was conducted at the dressing service of Dr Marcello Candia Reference Unit in Sanitary Dermatology of the State of Para. First, in order to analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 51 patients (97 ulcers) we conducted anamnesis, identification of the regions affected by the lesions (including digital photographic register), measurement of ulcer depth and surface area, using the software ImageTool 3.0. The most frequent comorbidity was systemic high blood pressure with 13 cases. To evaluate laser therapy, 25 subjects were randomly allocated into two groups of intervention. The control group (CG), with 12 patients (14 ulcers) received the standard treatment with daily simple dressings, use of topic 1% silver sulfadiazine cream, and orientations about self-care and prevention of disabilities. The experimental group (EG), with 13 subjects (17 ulcers), received standard treatment plus LLLT 3 times per week during 12 weeks. The LLLT consisted of 4 J/point in the wound edges, using a punctual contact technique and 2 J/cm² in the wound bed, using a scanning technique. The LLLT equipment was an AlGaInP diode laser (660 nm) with a power density of 1 W/cm². The analyzed variables were: ulcer surface area in square centimeters (cm²), depth in millimeters (mm), and PUSH score. The mean ulcer surface in the CG was 5,3 cm² (± 9,2) before and 4,4 cm² (± 8,5) after treatment, the depth was 6,3 mm (± 5,4) before and 5,4 (± 5,7) after, and the PUSH score was 9,7 (± 3,4) before and 8,4 (± 5,3) after treatment. In the EG, mean ulcer surface was 4,2 cm² (± 5,9) before and 3,8 cm² (± 5,7) after treatment, the depth was 6,2 mm (± 5,1) before and 4,1 mm (± 3,9) after, and the PUSH score was 9,6 (± 3,3) before and 7,9 (± 5,3) after treatment. The statistical analysis did not show any significant difference (p > 0.05) in none of the variables analyzed before and after treatment. Considering the parameters used in this study, in comparison with usual leprosy neuropathic ulcer treatment, LLLT did not demonstrate any additional benefits to wound healing. The study suggests that 1) special attention should be given to the control of blood pressure on these patients, and 2) diminish or avoid weight bearing on the affected area should continue as key recommendation for ulcer healing.
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