Short-term effects of 308-nm xenon-chloride excimer laser and narrow-band ultraviolet B in the treatment of vitiligo: a comparative study.
J Korean Med Sci
; 20(2): 273-8, 2005 Apr.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-15832000
ABSTRACT
We compared the clinical efficacy of a short-term intervention of 308-nm excimer laser with that of narrow-band UVB (NBUVB) phototherapy for vitiligo patients to see the early response. Twenty-three symmetrically patterned patches of vitiligo on 8 patients were selected. Vitiligo patches on one side of the body were treated 2 times per week for a maximum of 20 treatments with the excimer laser, and NBUVB phototherapy was used on patches on the other side. Improvement (repigmentation) was assessed on a visual scale via serial photographs taken every five treatments and scored as follows 0,< or =1% improvement; 1,< or =25% improvement; 2, 26-50% improvement; 3, 51-75% improvement; and 4, > or =75% improvement. At five treatments, the excimer laser-treated patches had an average score of 0.26, compared with 0.04 for patches treated with NBUVB phototherapy. A slightly higher repigmentation (p>0.05) in the excimer treated area was thus observed. At 10, 15, or 20 treatments, the differences between the average scores were significant 0.83, 1.17, and 1.39 for the excimer-treated patches, and 0.17, 0.30, and 0.74 for the NBUVB phototherapy-treated areas (p<0.05). In conclusion, the 308-nm excimer laser appears to be more effective than NBUVB phototherapy, as it produces more rapid and profound repigmentation.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Ultraviolet Therapy
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Vitiligo
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Xenon
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Chlorides
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Laser Therapy
Limits:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
J Korean Med Sci
Journal subject:
MEDICINA
Year:
2005
Document type:
Article