Fractionated CO2 laser combined with 308-nm excimer laser for the treatment of stable vitiligo: an observational clinical study

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of fractionated CO2 laser combined with 308-nm excimer laser for the treatment of stable vitiligo.Methods Forty-nine patients with 109 lesions of stable vitiligo were enrolled in this clinical trial.Each of these lesions was equally divided into 2 parts along the longest diameter,which were then assigned into the treatment group and control group respectively.The treatment group were treated with fractionated CO2 laser radiation for 15-20 minutes once every two weeks combined with 308-nm excimer laser radiation twice weekly.The control group were only treated with 308-nm excimer laser radiation twice weekly.Efficacy was evaluated on day 3 after 12 consecutive weeks of treatment.Results After the treatment,the total response rate in the treatment group and control group was 92.7％ (101/109) and 77.1％ (84/109) respectively.The marked response rate in the treatment group and control group was 85.4％ (35/41) and 65.8％ (27/41) respectively for lesions on the face and neck (x2 =4.23,P ＜ 0.05),70.6％ (24/34) and 41.2％ (14/34) respectively for lesions on the trunk (x2 =7.27,P＜ 0.01),64.0％ (16/25) and 36.0％ (9/25) respectively for lesions on the extremities (x2 =3.92,P ＜ 0.05),5/9 and 1/9 respectively for lesions on the dorsal hands (X2 =4.00,P ＜ 0.05).The number of sessions of 308-nm excimer laser therapy required for the marked response of vitiligo in the treatment group and control group was 7.24 ± 1.23 and 10.81 ± 2.01 respectively for lesions on the face and neck (t =9.70,P ＜ 0.05),15.10 ± 2.47 and 18.95 ± 3.45 respectively for lesions on the trunk (t =5.29,P＜ 0.05),17.37 ± 3.84 and 21.06 ± 4.23 respectively for lesions on the extremities (t =3.23,P ＜ 0.05).No severe adverse reactions were observed in any of the patients during the treatment.Conclusion Fractionated CO2 laser combined with 308-nm excimer laser is effective and safe in treating stable vitiligo. Key words: Vitiligo; Fractional laser; Efficacy