Short-term Effects of 308-nm Xenon-chloride Excimer Laser and Narrow-band Ultraviolet B in the Treatment of Vitiligo: A Comparative Study.
10.3346/jkms.2005.20.2.273
- Author:
Seok Beom HONG
1
;
Hyun Ho PARK
;
Mu Hyoung LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea. mhlee@khmc.or.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article ; Comparative Study
- Keywords:
Vitiligo;
308-nm Excimer Laser;
Laser Therapy, Low-Level;
Narrow Band UVB;
Phototherapy;
Ultraviolet Therapy
- MeSH:
Adult;
Chlorides/*therapeutic use;
Comparative Study;
Female;
Humans;
Lasers/*therapeutic use;
Male;
Middle Aged;
Treatment Outcome;
*Ultraviolet Therapy;
Vitiligo/pathology/*radiotherapy;
Xenon/*therapeutic use
- From:Journal of Korean Medical Science
2005;20(2):273-278
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
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=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 pho-totherapy-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.
