Effectiveness of different arithmetic planimetry methods for the measurement of diabetic foot ulcers

Abstract

Introduction: One of the most important aspects of the evaluation of a diabetic foot ulcer is the measurement of its size, which in turn predicts healing time. There is no clear consensus on what is the best method for this; one which can be fast, practical, cheap and simple for regular practice.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of different methods of arithmetic planimetry for the measurement of diabetic foot ulcers.

Methods: Correlational, longitudinal and prospective study. It was used a sample of 51 diabetic patients with 53 ulcers at foot level, who were evaluated by the four measurement systems proposed on the same date and place.

Results: The analysis of the differences established that the lowest dispersion was found in the Kundin method. Likewise, the absolute differences were smaller in the aforementioned procedure, while the percentages established that 43.4% of the measurements made through Kundin agreed with those of the ImageJ system, so these were statistically significant.

Conclusions: The determination of the wound surface by the Kundin method is the most effective without physical contact among all planimetry ones.