Treatment of Recalcitrant Viral Warts with Photodynamic Therapy with Mal and Red Light

Montserrat Fernández Guarino, Antonio Harto, Pedro Jaén

Dermatology Departament, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.

DOI: 10.4236/jcdsa.2013.31017                

Abstract

Background: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer. In recent years, its use has expanded to new indications. Viral warts (VW) are some of the most promising. Methods: A retrospective, descriptive, observational study was carried out. Patients who did not respond to cryotherapy were selected and were occluded with methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) for three hours and they were illuminated with red light. Tolerance to treatment was evaluated using a visual analog scale for pain (from 0 to 10). Results: A total of 15 patients with 134 VW were treated. A complete response was obtained in 13 of 15 patients (87%) and in 127 of 134 lesions (95%). The mean number of sessions was 3.1 (range 1 to 6) and the average pain score was 3.1 (range 0 to 8). Conclusions: PDT is a treatment that offers good results in the treatment of VW that are resistant to routine treatment. The treatment was well tolerated in our patient group.

Keywords

Photodynamic Therapy; Viral Warts; Red Light

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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