Clinical efficacy of flumetasone/salicylic acid ointment combined with 308-nm excimer laser for treatment of psoriasis vulgaris.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of combining flumetasone ointment with 308-nm excimer laser therapy vs. 308-nm excimer laser monotherapy for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris.

METHOD: Forty patients with psoriasis vulgaris were recruited; 20 were treated with flumetasone ointment plus 308-nm excimer laser therapy, and the other 20 received only excimer laser monotherapy. The flumetasone ointment was applied topically twice a day, and laser treatments were scheduled twice weekly for a total of 10 treatments. Clinical efficacy was evaluated in a blinded manner by two independent physicians using photographs taken before and after treatment.

RESULTS

Of the 40 patients who received and completed the entire course of therapy, the psoriasis area and severity index score was improved by 82.51 ± 11.24% and 72.01 ± 20.94% in the combination group and laser group, respectively (P > 0.05), and the average cumulative dose was 5.06 ± 2.20 j/cm(2) in the combination group and 7.75 ± 2.25 j/cm(2) in the laser-only group, respectively (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The clinical data suggest that combination treatment using flumetasone ointment and a 308-nm excimer laser is superior to laser monotherapy for treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. The combination therapy can increase effectiveness and decrease the total laser dose, thus potentially reducing side effects.