Wound Biopsy

A wound biopsy is a diagnostic procedure that helps determine the best treatment for venous ulcers and other nonhealing wounds. Adrian Wyllie, MD, MBA, CWSP, FAPWH, and Vadim Kurbatov, MD, PhD, at Complete Wound Care in Wallingford and Milford, Connecticut, have extensive experience in performing wound biopsies. With their expertise, you can be sure of receiving the optimal results after your procedure. Call Complete Wound Care or request a consultation online today to learn how you could benefit from a wound biopsy.

What is a wound biopsy?

A biopsy involves removing a tiny tissue sample for lab tests. Biopsies are standard diagnostic tools in all areas of medicine, including wound care.

Complete Wound Care might recommend that patients with nonhealing wounds undergo a biopsy. The procedure helps them understand a wound’s causes and detect underlying problems like cancer.

Chronic wounds that suffer from longstanding inflammation — particularly ones caused by burns or that feature a sinus tract (a wound that forms a tunnel) — may develop malignant lesions. A biopsy can verify or rule out cancer.

How is a wound biopsy performed?

Before a wound biopsy, your provider numbs the area with a local anesthetic to ensure you feel no discomfort.

Your provider thoroughly cleans the biopsy site to prevent subsequent infection. They also mark the skin where they intend to remove some tissue. A wound biopsy site is typically the edge of the wound, where the damaged tissues meet healthier ones.

The biopsy area is small but goes deep enough to encompass the wound bed (the bottom of the wound). Your provider takes the minimum amount of tissue needed for the tests to limit damage. It’s also unlikely the wound tissues would take sutures after a biopsy, so they must keep the area small enough to heal without stitches.

After a biopsy, your provider sends the sample to a specialized lab for tests. They dress the wound and monitor its healing. Carefully performed biopsies shouldn’t adversely affect the wound’s overall condition.

What do wound biopsy results mean?

Your Complete Wound Care provider will discuss the biopsy results with you when they receive them. First, they’ll let you know if the tests showed any cancerous cells in the wound. Then, they’ll go through the other findings.

Wound biopsies enable Complete Wound Care to prepare an effective treatment plan that considers what’s causing the wound and what’s preventing it from healing. Every patient’s wound care plan is personalized to suit their individual needs, but may include:

• Antibiotics
• Compression therapy
• Offloading therapy
• UltraMIST® therapy
• Negative wound pressure therapy (NWPT)
• Skin substitutes
• Pain management

Your provider might also recommend other diagnostics, such as an ankle-brachial index (ABI) or 3D wound imaging.

Call Complete Wound Care for further information about wound biopsies and their role in your treatment. You can also schedule a consultation via the online booking form today.