[Carbon dioxide laser therapy for anogenital warts in children].
BACKGROUND
Management of anogenital condylomas in children can be delicate especially in the event of profuse lesions and raises the issue of identification of the mode of contamination.


METHODS
The dossiers of all children referred to the laser unit of "La Conception" University Teaching Hospital in Marseille between 1995 and 2005 for treatment of profuse anogenital condylomas were studied retrospectively. The main objective was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of CO2 laser treatment for anogenital condylomas. The secondary objective was to invstigate the mode of contamination.


RESULTS
Seventeen children aged 2-11 years were treated. All were examined in routine fashion, as were their parents and siblings, for signs of PVH infection and sexual abuse. Laser was performed by the same operator under general anaesthesia. For all of these children, healing was rapid and without complication or functional sequelae. Two children were lost to follow-up. Ten children (66.7% of the treated children) presented no recurrence after only one session of CO2 laser. Vertical transmission was diagnosed for 6 children and horizontal transmission for 7 children. For 4 children, the mode of contamination remained unknown. No cases of sexual abuse were proven.


CONCLUSIONS
Due to its painless nature, rapid healing, low rate of complications and recurrence, and minimal risk of scarring, CO2 laser is an effective treatment for the management of profuse anogenital condylomas in children. Vertical transmission is the most frequent mode of contamination and sexual abuse remains rare, although clinicians must keep this possibility in mind.
Collet-Villette
A-M
AM
Service de Dermatologie et Vénéréologie, Hôpital Sainte-Marguerite, Marseille.
Gaudy-Marqueste
C
C
Grob
J-J
JJ
Richard
M-A
MA
D002081:Buttocks / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000175:diagnosis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003218:Condylomata Acuminata / Q000601:surgery* / Q000821:virology; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000601:surgery / Q000821:virology; D005832:Genital Diseases, Male / Q000601:surgery / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D053685:Laser Therapy; D054020:Lasers, Gas / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission; D010502:Perineum / Q000601:surgery; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012611:Scrotum / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014845:Vulvar Diseases / Q000601:surgery