Recommendations for the local management of digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis: A report from the World Scleroderma Foundation (WSF) 'Ad hoc committee'

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Introduction Digital ulcers (DUs) stand out as one of the most prevalent and clinically meaningful manifestations of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and are associated with significant morbidity. While systemic (pharmacological) therapy is currently established as the 'standard of care', effective local ulcer management remains crucial for all cases of DUs. This is particularly true for patients who cannot tolerate systemic treatments or in the case of refractory SSc-DUs. On this background, there is a pressing demand for the formulation of evidence-based guidelines to assist clinicians and patients in navigating the local treatment options for DUs. Methods A steering committee of international experts was established by the World Scleorderma Foundation (WSF) Digital Ulcer (DU) ad hoc committee. Two systematic literature reviews on local non-surgical and surgical treatments for the management of SSc-DUs were performed to inform the development of local treatment recommendations for SSc-DUs. Consensus methodology was used to develop the final treatment recommendations. Results Six overarching treatment principles and eight local treatment recommendations (five non-surgical and three surgical) were agreed upon for the management of SSc-DU. Among topical non-surgical options, botulin toxin can be conditionally recommended for refractory and/or severe DUs. Among surgical treatments, autol

Evidence level

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

Browse all related research

Filter the research library by this study's title keywords, author, or publication year.