Duct Tape May Be Comparable to Cryotherapy for Simple Warts

Abstract

Dermatology| January 01 2003 Duct Tape May Be Comparable to Cryotherapy for Simple Warts AAP Grand Rounds (2003) 9 (1): 6–7. https://doi.org/10.1542/gr.9-1-6 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Duct Tape May Be Comparable to Cryotherapy for Simple Warts. AAP Grand Rounds January 2003; 9 (1): 6–7. https://doi.org/10.1542/gr.9-1-6 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All PublicationsAll JournalsAAP Grand RoundsPediatricsHospital PediatricsPediatrics In ReviewNeoReviewsAAP NewsAll AAP Sites Search Advanced Search Topics: cryotherapy, duct tape, warts Source: Focht DR III, Spicer C, Fairchok MP. The efficacy of duct tape versus cryotherapy in the treatment of verruca vulgaris (the common wart). Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002;156:971–974. To compare the efficacy of duct tape and cryotherapy for the treatment of common warts, these investigators enrolled patients aged 3–22 years who presented to the pediatric or adolescent clinics at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington State between October 31, 2000 and July 25, 2001. Patients were eligible for inclusion if they had a common wart and did not have an immunodeficiency state; chronic skin disease; allergy to adhesive tape; warts located on the face or periungual, perianal or genital areas; or previous cryotherapy for the same wart. Warts were measured at baseline and at each follow-up visit; those patients who failed to return were contacted by telephone to determine response to treatment. At study entry, patients were randomized to receive either cryotherapy or duct tape application. Those in the cryotherapy group were treated with liquid nitrogen for 10 seconds every 2–3 weeks until the wart resolved or until 6 treatments had been administered. Those in the duct tape group applied the tape to the wart and left it in place for 6 days; thereafter, the tape was removed and the wart debrided with an emery board or pumice stone. The following morning, duct tape was reapplied and the cycle repeated. Patients in this group were re-evaluated monthly and treatment continued until the wart resolved or the wart had been treated for 2 months. The primary outcome measure was the percent of warts that resolved completely after 2 months; a secondary outcome variable was the time to resolution. Of 61 patients enrolled, 51 completed the study (25 cryotherapy, 26 duct tape); 10 patients (6 cryotherapy, 4 duct tape) were unavailable for follow-up and were excluded. Patients in the final treatment groups did not differ significantly with respect to age, gender, baseline wart size, or wart location (most warts were located on the fingers). Complete wart resolution occurred in 85% of patients in the duct tape group versus 60% treated with cryotherapy (P=.05). The majority of warts that resolved with duct tape therapy did so within 28 days (16 of 22 [73%]); if no response was seen within 2 weeks resolution was unlikely to occur. Of 15 warts that responded to cryotherapy, 9 (60%) resolved after 2 treatments. Thus, the average time to complete resolution was considered similar for both treatments. An unspecified number of patients (more in the duct tape group) had follow-up conducted by telephone. The most frequent complications in the duct tape group were local skin irritation and difficulty keeping the tape in place; for those in the cryotherapy group, pain at the treatment site was the most common adverse reaction. Warts are a common problem, affecting 10% of the population at some time.1 Although it is impossible to predict the natural history of individual warts, studies conducted among... You do not currently have access to this content.