Assessment of Removable Short Total Contact Cast in Comparison to Irremovable Total Contact Cast in the Management of Diabetic Neuropathic Ulcers

Purpose: To Compare between removable short total contact cast (rsTCC) and irremovable total contact cast (iTCC) in management of diabetic neuropathic ulcers. Methods: From July 2010 to June 2011, 50 patients suffering from diabetic neuropathic ulcers presented to Zagazig University hospitals were randomly divided into 2 groups, one group (26 patients) was treated with rsTCC and the other group (24 patients) was treated with iTCC. Follow-up for four months to all patients was done in the outpatients clinics, where the neuropathic ulcers were evaluated and managed. The outcome of both groups was compared as regard healing of the ulcers and duration of healing. Results: 14 patients (53.8%) were males and 12 patients (46.2%) were females in the first group while in the second group 12 patients (57.1%) were males and 9 patients (42.9%) were females after exclusion of 3 cases. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in any of the demographic or clinical variables. The mean duration of healing was (54.6±16.2 days) in the first group and (51.6±16.1 days) in the second group, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p=0.701) as regard healing rates in both groups. Conclusion: rsTCC is as effective as iTCC in the treatment of diabetic neuropathic plantar ulcers concerning proportion of patients that achieved healing and its duration.