title: Successful Treatment of Segmental Vitiligo in Children with the Combination of 1-mm Minigrafts and Phototherapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Minigrafts using a 1-mm biopsy punch (1-mm minigrafts) are being increasingly used to treat vitiligo. However, there have been few reports of the use of 1-mm minigrafts in pediatric patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effectiveness of combination therapy with 1-mm minigrafts and phototherapy in children with segmental vitiligo.
  
  
  METHODS
  Minigrafts were placed in 13 patients aged ≤16 years with segmental vitiligo. Following surgery, 11 patients underwent irradiation with excimer laser light and 2 with narrow-band ultraviolet B light.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A mean repigmentation of 81.6% was obtained. A particularly high mean repigmentation of 87.9% was seen in patients aged ≤12 years, indicating greater efficacy in these patients than in patients aged ≥13 years (mean, 67.5%). Although a transient cobblestone appearance occurred as an adverse effect, it improved over time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Combined treatment of segmental vitiligo with 1-mm minigrafts and phototherapy can be performed safely and is highly effective in young patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuchiyama
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Watabe
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sadayasu
authors.forename: Nobue
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Onodera
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Setsuya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aiba
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054018:Lasers, Excimer / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014467:Ultraviolet Therapy; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000628:therapy*