Abstract
PURPOSE: Wounds with dead tissue, purulent wounds, and gangrene are good options for larval therapy. We aim to investigate the effect of larval therapy on diabetic wounds and compare it with traditional treatment. METHODS: The sterile larvae were used in wound treatment and the infection rate, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), and wound size were measured and compared before and after the treatment. RESULTS: The scars of 40 patients in the larval therapy group were evaluated every 10 days and the mean size of the scar decreased from 38.5 cm (36.6 cm) before treatment to 5.0 cm (6.6 cm) after 60 days. ESR mean was decreased from 57.3 (18.3) before treatment to 15.8 (4.8) after treatment in the larval therapy group. These parameters were significantly decreased compared to the debridement group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Larval therapy is effective in diabetic wound healing. The size of the wound after larval treatment is smaller than before. There was no difference between the two groups for infection rate. ESR was significantly decreased in the larval therapy group that indicating the lower inflammation in this group. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-022-00973-w.