title: Comparison of the efficacy and safety of the 308 nm excimer laser for the treatment of localized psoriasis in adults and in children: a pilot study.
abstract: The 308-nm excimer laser has been shown to be safe and efficacious in the treatment of localized mild-to-moderate plaque-type psoriasis in adults. However, the laser's safety and efficacy has not yet been demonstrated in children. Four of seven children with a mean age of 11.0 years and 12 of 18 adults with a mean age of 48.8 years completed the full protocol. The most common reason for incompletion was noncompliance unrelated to side effects. Both the children (p=0.0200) and the adult groups (p=0.0009) yielded a significant decrease in psoriatic severity scores of their respective target lesions. The children group had a greater reduction (p=0.008) from a mean baseline target (PSS) of 5.75+/-1.71 to final of 0.50+/-0.58 (91.3% reduction) as compared to the adult treatment group from a mean baseline psoriatic severity score of 5.00+/-1.15 to final of 1.92+/-1.11 (61.6% reduction). However, there was no statistical difference between the mean total treatments required to achieve this result (p=0.112). Side effects were common, albeit minor and well tolerated. In conclusion, the 308 nm excimer laser appears to be a safe and effective treatment for localized psoriasis in children as well as in adults.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Center and Division of Dermatology, UMD-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA.
authors.forename: Niraj
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pahlajani
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Ann Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lozano
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gottlieb
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D062109:Dermatologic Surgical Procedures; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000601:surgery*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome