Short-term effects of 308-nm xenon-chloride excimer laser and narrow-band ultraviolet B in the treatment of vitiligo: a comparative study.
We compared the clinical efficacy of a short-term intervention of 308-nm excimer laser with that of narrow-band UVB (NBUVB) phototherapy for vitiligo patients to see the early response. Twenty-three symmetrically patterned patches of vitiligo on 8 patients were selected. Vitiligo patches on one side of the body were treated 2 times per week for a maximum of 20 treatments with the excimer laser, and NBUVB phototherapy was used on patches on the other side. Improvement (repigmentation) was assessed on a visual scale via serial photographs taken every five treatments and scored as follows: 0,< or =1% improvement; 1,< or =25% improvement; 2, 26-50% improvement; 3, 51-75% improvement; and 4, > or =75% improvement. At five treatments, the excimer laser-treated patches had an average score of 0.26, compared with 0.04 for patches treated with NBUVB phototherapy. A slightly higher repigmentation (p>0.05) in the excimer treated area was thus observed. At 10, 15, or 20 treatments, the differences between the average scores were significant: 0.83, 1.17, and 1.39 for the excimer-treated patches, and 0.17, 0.30, and 0.74 for the NBUVB phototherapy-treated areas (p<0.05). In conclusion, the 308-nm excimer laser appears to be more effective than NBUVB phototherapy, as it produces more rapid and profound repigmentation.
Hong
Seok-Beom
SB
Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-702, Korea.
Park
Hyun-Ho
HH
Lee
Mu-Hyoung
MH
D000328:Adult; D002712:Chlorides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014467:Ultraviolet Therapy; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D014978:Xenon / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D002712:Chlorides; D014978:Xenon; C048006:xenon chloride