Treatment of recalcitrant viral warts with pulsed dye laser MAL-PDT.
BACKGROUND
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been explored for the treatment of recalcitrant viral warts (VW) with good results in recent publications.


METHODS
We carried out a descriptive and observational study in 19 patients with recalcitrant VW. Methyl aminolaevulinic acid (MAL) was occluded for 3 hours and pulsed dye laser (PDL) was used as the light source. VW were treated weekly until they were clear or for a maximum of six sessions.


RESULTS
A total of 53% of the VW cleared, and 26% of the patients demonstrated complete clearance of all their VW. The treatment was well tolerated and no adverse events were recorded.


CONCLUSIONS
PDL-PDT is an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for patients with recalcitrant VW. Though only half of patients show any improvement, responders are likely to show complete clearance of their warts.
Fernández-Guarino
Montserrat
M
Dermatology Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain. montsefdez@msn.com
Harto
Antonio
A
Jaén
Pedro
P
D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D054025:Lasers, Dye / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014860:Warts / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology
D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; C475457:methyl 5-aminolevulinate; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid