engleski

Targeted treatment of psoriasis with monochromatic excimer light

Introduction & Objectives: The 308-nm excimer laser and the monochormatic eximer light (MEL) represent the latest advances in the concept of selective/localized phototherapy. Various reports have shown the efficacy of narrow-band UVB (311-313 nm), laser and monochromatic excimer light (308 nm) in the treatment of plaque and palmoplantar psoriasis. Some psoriatic plaques are resistant to topical therapy while palmoplantar psoriasis is commonly treated with PUVA therapy. The objective of this retrospective study was to analyse the efficacy of MEL in the therapy of small areas of affected skin resistant to topical therapy. Patients & Methods: Three patients with plaque psoriasis and one patient with palmoplantar psoriasis were included in the analysis. The diagnosis of plaque psoriasis was based on clinical and histopathological examination of lesional skin, while the diagnosis of palmoplantar psoriasis was based on the appearance of the affected area. All patients were previously treated with topical therapy for at least 2 years. The therapy was based on corticosteroid creams/ointments. In some cases other topical preparations were also used (tazarotene, salicylic acid, dithranol). All three patients were treated with a source of monochromatic excimer light (MEL) (Excilite-μ ; DEKA, Florence, Italy) twice a week, in combination with betamethasone dipropionate. The clinical response to the therapy and adverse effects were recorded. Results: Two patients with plaque psoriasis experienced complete remission while one patient had only a moderate improvement. The patient with palmoplantar psoriasis experienced complete remission. Common side-effects included intense erythema, burning sensation and in one case blisters, but these were well tolerated. Clinical response was maintained for 2 months in 2 patients and within 1 month in 1 patient. Conclusion: The presented cases illustrate the benefit of utilizing monochromatic excimer light on small areas of affected skin resistant to topical therapy.

psoriasis; monochromatic excimer light

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