Alopecia resulting from radiation exposure occurs 2-8 weeks after exposure. It can be temporary or permanent depending on the dose of exposure. Alopecia following fluoroscopy-guided procedures are increasing in frequency. We report the case of a 22-year-old female who underwent fluoroscopically-guided embolization of an arteriovenous malformation. Twelve days after embolization, significant hair shedding was noted, resulting in a large rectangular hairless patch with no erythema or pain on the irradiated site. Hair pull test was positive and the hair mount showed dystrophic anagen hairs. Hair tug test was negative. Trichoscopy showed yellow dots, black dots, vellus hairs, and flame hairs. Histopathologic examination showed an increase in catagen and telogen hairs. On review of the procedure, she received a total peak skin dose of 4.67 Gray from the procedure. The diagnosis of radiation-induced alopecia was made and topical minoxidil was started, resulting in complete hair growth after six months. Patients undergoing fluoroscopy-guided procedures should have adequate follow-up weeks to months post-procedure to monitor for skin and hair reactions. Physicians should also consider delayed radiation reactions in patients with a history of radiation exposure. Safety protocols must be in place, and measures should be done to minimize the dose delivered.

Human ; Female ; Young Adult: 19-24 Yrs Old ; Alopecia ; Fluoroscopy

INTRODUCTION: Oral ivermectin is an approved first-line option to topical permethrin in Europe and Japan for the treatment of classic scabies, while combination oral ivermectin and topical permethrin is used in clinical practice for extensive or recurrent cases. There is unclear evidence on comparative efficacy and safety.

OBJECTIVES: To review the evidence on efficacy and safety of oral ivermectin versus topical permethrin or its combination in the treatment of classic scabies.

METHODS: We searched PubMed from January 1, 2016 up to August 7, 2021 for systematic reviews that included RCTs comparing oral ivermectin versus topical permethrin or its combination in the clinical treatment of scabies. We described the characteristics of included studies, assessed reporting quality, and summarized results and conclusion.

RESULTS: We included five systematic reviews. Permethrin did not differ from oral ivermectin in cure rate at the 3 to 6-week time point but had an earlier cure at 1-2 weeks. Adverse effects did not significantly diff er and were few, mild, and transient with both treatments. The evidence ranged widely from low to high certainty and mainly came from three moderate-to-high quality systematic reviews. Combination oral ivermectin and topical permethrin was ranked higher in efficacy but lower in safety compared to either drug alone in one moderate validity network meta-analysis.

CONCLUSION: There is varying certainty of evidence suggesting comparable efficacy and safety of oral ivermectin versus topical permethrin. Limited evidence suggest higher efficacy and lower safety of combination oral ivermectin and topical permethrin compared to either drug alone. An updated systematic review and network meta-analysis is warranted.

KEYWORDS: scabies, ivermectin, permethrin, effectiveness, efficacy, safety