Cryotherapy in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis

Abstract

The treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is difficult, and a variety of modalities have been proposed. We studied the effectiveness of liquid nitrogen cryotherapy in comparison with intralesional meglumine antimonate for CL. Cryotherapy was used to treat 42 patients with 57 lesions. A maximum of three applications, using a double freeze-thaw cycle, were performed in each patient at 3-week intervals. Intralesional meglumine antimonate was used to treat 20 patients with 33 lesions every other day over a period of 3 weeks. Of the 57 lesions, 53 (93%) were cured with cryotherapy and the treatment failed in 4 lesions (7%). Of the 33 lesions, 23 (69.7%) were cured with intralesional meglumine antimonate and the treatment failed in 10 lesions (30.3%). With appropriate lesion selection and the use of suitable cryosurgery units, liquid nitrogen cryotherapy provides an effective and safe treatment for CL.

Key Words:

• Cutaneous leishmaniasis
• Cryotherapy
• Meglumine antimonate