BACKGROUND: PUVA photochemotherapy has been accepted as an effective treatment modality in the treatment of psoriasis. Many combination therapies have been tried to reduce the long-term side effects of UV radiation. OBJECTIVE: We performed conventional PUVA and calcipotriol-PUVA combination therapy to compare the effectiveness between two treatment modalities. METHODS: We treated 38 Korean patients with conventional PUVA and 54 with D-PUVA. We compared the total number, duration and total UVA dose of PUVA therapy to reach grade 4 between two groups. We categorized each patient into clearing, improvement, or failure groups based on the therapeutic efficacy, and evaluated PASI score at patient`s visits. RESULTS: The irradiation number and total cumulative dose of D-PUVA phototherapy to achieve grade 4 were significantly smaller than PUVA phototherapy. CONCLUSION: Combining PUVA with a vitamin D analogue, calcipotriol, in the treatment of psoriasis may lead to lowering the risk of long-term exposure to UV radiation with higher efficacy.
Humans ; Photochemotherapy ; Phototherapy ; Psoriasis* ; PUVA Therapy ; Vitamin D

BACKGROUND: Narrow-band UVB phototherapy using 311+-2nm wavelength is in widespread use due to its greater efficacy and, possibly, safety compared with broad-band UVB sources. OBJECTIVE: We performed emollient narrow-band UVB(NBUVB) phototherapy to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety in Korean psoriasis patients. METHODS: Fifteen psoriasis patients received narrow-band UVB phototherapy. We categorized each patient into clearing, improvement, or failure groups based on the therapeutic efficacy, and measured the PASI score every two weeks. RESULTS: 1. Among patients who received narrow-band UVB phototherapy, clearing was shown in 40.0% and improvement in 27.7%, and failure in 33.3%. 2. The total number, duration, final and cumulative doses to achieve grade IV were 16.3, 39 days, 1,050mJ/cm2 and 12,125mJ/cm2 respectively. 3. There were some side effects of NBUVB phototherapy such as pruritus(53.3%) and mild burning(13.3%). CONCLUSION: Narrow-band UVB phototherapy is a effective treatment modality which is convenient and less erythemogenic in psoriasis. It will be used more and more and play an important role in the treatment of psoriasis.
Humans ; Phototherapy* ; Psoriasis*

BACKGROUND: Complete clearance of the lesions by using calcipotriol alone have not been re-ported commonly in the treatment of psoriatic patients. Moreover, lesional and perilesional irritation are reported in some patients using calcipotriol, which may result in premature termination of the treatment due to impairing the compliance. OBJECTIVE: A clinical study was conducted to determine whether, in the topical treatment of psoriasis, a combination of calcipotriol cream and methylprednisolone aceponate was more effective than calcipotriol monotherapy. METHODS: Twenty-one psoriasis patients who had the symmetric lesions on the right and left lower legs were enrolled in the study. A combination of calcipotriol cream and methylprednisolone aceponate therapy was done on the left lower legs, whereas calcipotriol alone was applied on the right lower legs twice daily. PASI score and adverse events were recorded at each visit (1, 2, 3, 4, 6 week). The overall therapeutic result was also assessed by the physician and patients. RESULTS: The initial PASI score was 7.09 on both legs. After 6 weeks, the mean PASI score was 3.85 on the left leg, and 5.70 on the right leg (p<0.05). In the physicianOs global assessment, the percentage of patients who showed the improvement of more than half of lesions was 29% in the monotherapy and 62% in the combination therapy area. Two patients complained of mild itching sense on monotherapy, but there was no specific side effect on combination area. CONCLUSION: The combination therapy was more effective, as assessed by all evaluated variables. Furthermore, this combination reduces the adverse effects caused by long-term use of topical corticosterois as well as the irritation associated with. calcipotriol.
Compliance ; Humans ; Leg ; Methylprednisolone* ; Pruritus ; Psoriasis*

Scabies may be seen in psoriatic patients, although not frequent. This situation provokes many problems including the difficulty of diagnosis and uncertainty of appropriate therapy. We report a case of a young female with an existing psoriasis aggravated following scabetic infestation. At first, she took an antiscabetic treatment but the severity of psoriasis persisted. Subsequently, cyclosporine treatment was started and the psoriatic lesions improved deamatically.
Cyclosporine ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Psoriasis* ; Scabies* ; Uncertainty

No abstract available.
Angiofibroma* ; Carbon Dioxide* ; Carbon* ; Lasers, Gas* ; Sirolimus* ; Tuberous Sclerosis*

No abstract available.
Scleroderma, Localized

BACKGROUND: In planning narrow band UVB (NBUVB) phototherapy protocol, assessing a minimal erythema dose (MED) of NBUVB may be essential to gain optimal therapeutic results. However, there are few data regarding to the MED of NBUVB in Koreans and the results are variable according to skin types and photosensors. OBJECTIVE: We assessed MED of NBUVB in psoriasis patients by a photometer designed for NBUVB phototesting, the relationship of skin type and ultraviolet responses. METHODS: Forty psoriasis patients were phototested on their backs with newly developed Waldmann UV meter(R)(Waldmann Co. Germany) for NBUVB phototesting. The MED was investigated by irradiating several NBUVB doses ranging from 200 mJ/cm2 to 1500 mJ/cm2 and then was judged visually 24 hours after. RESULTS: 1.The median and mode value of MED of NBUVB in Korean psoriasis patients were 950 mJ/cm2 (35%). 2. Skin type was well correlated with the MED. CONCLUSION:The MED value of NBUVB in our study may be useful data to set the phototherapy protocol. Skin types are related with MED value and the study is more required to know the exact relationship.
Erythema* ; Humans ; Phototherapy ; Psoriasis* ; Skin

No abstract available.
Clothing* ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact* ; Nickel*

Mesotherapy was first introduced in France by Pistor in 1952. This is a widely used technique of intradermal or subcutaneous microinjections of a highly diluted drug, or cocktail of drugs. The use of mesotherapy is commonplace in medicine, especially in painful disorders of the locomotory apparatus. The technique has also been employed in cutaneous affections and esthetical conditions such as keloids and hypertrophic scars, acne, psoriasis, vitiligo, wrinkles, alopecia areata and hair loss, cellulitis, lipodystrophy, obesity, telangiectasias, lymphedemas, peripheral vascular diseases, and leg ulcers. A 24-year-old woman presented with painful eczematous subcutaneous nodules located at the points where mesotherapy had been applied. Histologically, it showed panniculitis with acute inflammation, aggregation of neutrophils, and fat necrosis. We report an unusual case of panniculitis after mesotherapy.
Acne Vulgaris ; Alopecia Areata ; Cellulitis ; Cicatrix, Hypertrophic ; Fat Necrosis ; Female ; France ; Hair ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Keloid ; Leg Ulcer ; Lipodystrophy ; Lymphedema ; Mesotherapy* ; Microinjections ; Neutrophils ; Obesity ; Panniculitis* ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases ; Psoriasis ; Telangiectasis ; Vitiligo ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Humans ; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia*