The combination of CO2 laser vaporation and photodynamic therapy in treatment of condylomata acuminata

- One session of PDT plus CO2 laser may be enough for some patients with fewer warts.
- Response rate and recurrence rate are the same in perianal and external genital CA.
- CO2 laser vaporation plus ALA-PDT is a highly effective modality for treating CA.

SummaryThe aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of CO2 laser vaporation and topical PDT combination on condylomata acuminate (CA) located in the perianal and external genital area. A total of 119 patients (perianal CA = 52 cases and external genital CA = 67 cases) with at least one CA lesion >2 mm were treated with monopulse CO2 laser followed by topical ALA-PDT. PDT was repeated till complete response was achieved. Approximately half of the patients only needed one session of PDT treatment and another half needed multiple PDT treatments to achieve complete response. During the 6-month follow-up 7.1% of patients relapsed. In terms of complete response rate and recurrence rate there were no statistical differences between perianal and genital groups. No severe adverse effects were observed. CO2 laser vaporation plus ALA-PDT is a highly effective modality for treating CA.