Treatment of acute cutaneous leishmaniasis with intralesional injection of meglumine antimoniate: comparison of conventional technique with mesotherapy gun.
BACKGROUND
The gold standard treatment of Old World leishmaniasis, a common tropical parasitic infestation, is intralesional meglumine antimoniate injection. Mesotherapy is a new minimally invasive method of administration of variable substances to the skin.


OBJECTIVE
Comparison of the efficacy and adverse effects of treatment of leishmaniasis with intralesional injection of meglumine antimoniate using conventional method and mesotherapy method.


METHODS
Eighty-five patients with proven leishmaniasis were recruited and randomly treated by one of the two methods, either by conventional injection or by mesotherapy administration weekly. Lesion characteristics were evaluated at every treatment session as well as 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after cessation of treatment.


RESULTS
The improvement in lesions was similar in both groups, while it was noted sooner in mesotherapy group with less amount of drug usage (P = 0.005 and 0.016 respectively). Also, patients treated with mesotherapy experienced less pain severity (P = 0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
Mesotherapy is a safe and effective method of meglumine antimoniate injection for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis and is less painful.
Kashani
Mansour Nassiri
MN
Center for Research & Training in Skin Diseases & Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. nassirikashani@yahoo.com
Sadr
Bardia
B
Nilforoushzadeh
Mohammad Ali
MA
Arasteh
Mahfar
M
Babakoohi
Shahab
S
Firooz
Alireza
A
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015552:Injections, Intralesional / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008536:Meglumine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000077485:Meglumine Antimoniate; D057748:Mesotherapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010146:Pain / Q000517:prevention & control; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D008536:Meglumine; D000077485:Meglumine Antimoniate