Local Hyperthermia at 44C versus Cryotherapy for the Treatment of Plantar Warts (Verrucae): A Prospective Multi-center Non-randomized Concurrent Control Clinical Trial.

Abstract

Local hyperthermia had been successfully used in the treatment of plantar warts. Cryotherapy is one of the most common physical therapy for warts, however, pain during treatment, relatively high recurrence rates limit its use. We aimed to compare the clinical effectiveness of local hyperthermia versus cryotherapy for the treatment of plantar warts. This is a multi-centre, open, two arms, non-randomized concurrent control trial. A total of 1027 patients received either cryotherapy or local hyperthermia treatment. By the end of 3 months after the treatments, local hyperthermia and cryotherapy achieved complete clearance rates of 50.9% and 54.3%, respectively. The recurrence rates were 0.8% and 12%, respectively. The pain scores during the treatments with local hyperthermia were significantly lower than cryotherapy group. Both local hyperthermia and cryotherapy demonstrated similar efficacy for clearance of plantar warts; while the former had lower recurrence rate and lower pain sensation during the treatments.