Base
The base of an ulcer usually consists of granulation tissue or slough. Sometimes the floor of the ulcer will provide extra information about the nature of the ulcer:
- wash-leather appearance is seen in syphilitic ulcers
- bluish unhealthy granulation tissue seen in tuberculosis ulcers
- no granulation tissue is often present in ischaemic ulcers - in this case structures such as tendons may lie bear in the base of the ulcer
- solid brown or grey dead tissue suggests full-thickness skin death
- the redness of the granulation tissue is proportional to the underlying vascularity of the ulcer site (and therefore of the ulcer's ability to heal)
Reference
- De Maeseneer MG et al. European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) 2022 clinical practice guidelines on the management of chronic venous disease of the lower limbs. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2022 Feb;63(2):184-267.
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