Treatment of recalcitrant viral warts with pulsed dye laser MAL-PDT.

BACKGROUND

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been explored for the treatment of recalcitrant viral warts (VW) with good results in recent publications.

METHODS

We carried out a descriptive and observational study in 19 patients with recalcitrant VW. Methyl aminolaevulinic acid (MAL) was occluded for 3 hours and pulsed dye laser (PDL) was used as the light source. VW were treated weekly until they were clear or for a maximum of six sessions.

RESULTS

A total of 53% of the VW cleared, and 26% of the patients demonstrated complete clearance of all their VW. The treatment was well tolerated and no adverse events were recorded.

CONCLUSIONS

PDL-PDT is an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for patients with recalcitrant VW. Though only half of patients show any improvement, responders are likely to show complete clearance of their warts.