Pulsed dye laser treatment of warts: An update

BACKGROUND. Warts are a therapeutic challenge. New studies indicate that pu lsed dye laser therapy may be effective, with clearance rates of 72 to 93%. OBJECTIVE. TO determine clearance rate in pulsed dye laser treatment of war ts and compare our rate to those of other published studies. METHODS. Thirty-three patients with 96 warts received pulsed dye laser trea tment for recalcitrant plantar, digital, peri- and subungual, and body wart s. RESULTS. Forty-eight percent of patients had complete wart clearance; 45% p artially cleared. Sixty-nine percent of those who cleared remained wart-fre e for an average of 11 months. Mean fluence was 9.4 J/cm(2), with an averag e of 3.4 treatments. Body and palmar warts responded best, digital and peri - and subungual next, and plantar lesions worst. No significant side effect s were observed. CONCLUSION. Pulsed dye laser is an effective treatment option for recalcitr ant warts with an excellent side effect profile. However, our response rate s were not as high as those previously reported, and we feel that further s tudies would be useful.