title: The pulsed dye laser is more effective and rapidly acting than intralesional meglumine antimoniate therapy for cutaneous leishmaniasis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The pulsed dye laser (PDL) is not tested yet for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). We compared the efficacy of 585 nm PDL with intralesional meglumine antimoniate (MA) on 17 patients with 81 lesions of CL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Out of the 81 lesions, 42 lesions were treated with one or two passes of PDL fortnightly and 39 lesions in the same patients were treated with intralesional MA weekly. The fluence chosen for the laser was 7 Joules/cm² with 5 mm spot size. The MA treated lesions were infiltrated gently with MA to blanch the lesions completely.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All laser treated lesions were responded well with almost 66.7% cure after the first, and more than 90% after the second treatment. One patient was recovered after third, and the last one after fourth sessions. All 39 MA treated lesions were also responded after third to eighth sessions. The mean number of the sessions required for the patients to be treated with PDL is 1.85, and the mean number of the sessions required for the patients to be treated with MA is 4.6.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PDL can cure many cases of CL particularly in their early stages faster than MA.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Dermatology , Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences , Ahvaz , Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radmanesh
authors.affiliation: a Department of Dermatology , Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences , Ahvaz , Iran.
authors.forename: Ehsan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Omidian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015552:Injections, Intralesional; D054025:Lasers, Dye / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008536:Meglumine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077485:Meglumine Antimoniate; D008875:Middle Aged; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D008536:Meglumine; D000077485:Meglumine Antimoniate
keywords: Cutaneous leishmaniasis; meglumine antimoniate; pulsed dye laser