Successful treatment of periungual warts using photodynamic therapy: A pilot study

Aim: The aim of this pilot study was an investigation on photodynamic therapy (PDT) whether it is a good alternative for treating periungual and subungual warts of the hands. Study design: Twenty patients (mean age: 30.5 years) with a total of 40 periungual and subungual warts were treated with PDT. A photosensitizer, 20%δ-aminolevulinic acid was applied on the warts. After a mean incubation time of 4.6 h (SD: 1.2), the warts were irradiated with the VersaLight® for 5-30 min (15.2 ± 4.3 min). Results: After a mean of 4.5 treatments a mean clearance of 100% was achieved in 90% of the patients. One patient (5%) showed a clearance of 50% and another showed no improvement. The subungual or periungual location of the wart had no influence on the number of treatments or end result (P > 0.05). There were two recurrences during the mean follow-up period of 5.9 months (SD: 7.6). Besides mainly pain and hyperpigmentation, most treatments had no side-effects. Conclusion: PDT can offer a good alternative for treating periungual warts of the hands. Larger studies are indicated. © 2007 The Authors Journal compilation

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