OBJECTIVES: Chronic leg ulcers without healing tendency present a serious public health and socio-economic issue. Rationally combinig causal and conservative treatments with innovative methods, it would be beneficial to improve the effectivity of wound treatment, thus reducing its financial impacts. The aim of study was to investigate the cost of conservative treatment and an innovative Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT). METHODS: The authors present cases of dermatological patients with severe, chronic leg ulcers of various etiologies resistant to conservative therapy (Patients-1: fasciitis necrotisans; Patients-2: ulcer associated with chronic venous insufficiency; Patients-3: pyoderma gangrenosum), thus comparing the costs of conservative treatment (social insurance subsidies on bandages) and NPWT (not financed by social insurance) in each patient. Furthermore, the authors compare costs of NPWT cases with other cases (Patient-4: fasciitis necrotisans; Patient-5: ulcer associated with chronic venous insufficiency; Patient-6: ulcer associated with rheumatoid arthritis), in which no NPWT was applied thus far due to financial reasons. (1USD$=225 HUF, Hungarian Forint) RESULTS: Social insurance subsidies on bandages/patient (USD) in treatment period: Patient-1.: $1324; Patient-2.: $15495; Patient-3.: $412; Patient-4.: $11376; Patient-5.: $10557; Patient-6.: $7306. Cost of NPWT/patient and proportion of social insurance subsidies on bandages/patient: Patient 1.: $1405 (106%); Patient 2.: $667 (4.3%), Patient 3.: $778 (188.9%). The cost of NPWT is relatively high, however, NWPT-treated leg ulcers have healed compared to cases receiving conservative treatment, which can be attributed to NPWT stimulating wound healing. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of the disease resulting leg ulcer – causal therapy combined with NPWT – is beneficial in wound healing, reducing high costs of wound treament, shortening the time of wound healing, improving the patient’s quality of life. Application of NPWT in specialized centers of wound treatment and financing by social insurance would be recommended for cases not responding to conservative treatment in Hungary.