Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Ankara Medical Journal, cilt.23, sa.1, ss.151-164, 2023 (Scopus)
Medical leech therapy, which has a history of thousands of years, is still the subject of many scientific studies today. These studies have shown that medicinal leech therapy has anticoagulant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, as well as increases blood flow in the bite area. Due to these stated effects of leech therapy, it has potential benefits for patients experiencing wounds of the skin and tissues. This review focused on presenting the studies in which medical leech therapy is used to promote wound healing, particularly in post-traumatic wounds and non-healing chronic wounds. Additionally, this review aims to recognize medicinal leech therapy, introduce the leech species that have therapeutic effects and indicate the effect mechanisms of leech saliva on wound healing. The case series, single case reports and review articles on the use of medicinal leech therapy in wound healing were inspected. The original animal-based studies on wound healing were also investigated in this review for additional information. Various reports indicate that medicinal leech therapy has potential benefits for patients experiencing venous congestion of the skin and tissues, as well as varied types of ulcers. Medicinal leech therapy has promising potential in the healing of post-traumatic and chronic non-healing wounds. Nevertheless, more studies are needed for the potential effects of medicinal leech therapy in wound healing should be clarified by further studies.