Background: Recalcitrant plantar warts are representing a therapeutic challenge. Intralesional cryotherapy (ILC) has emerged as a promising therapeutic option in recalcitrant plantar warts treatment.
Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability of (ILC) versus Cryotherapy spray (Cryo-sp) for treatment of recalcitrant plantar warts.
Methods: One hundred-thirty patients with recalcitrant plantar warts were assigned equally to two groups. Group A received ILC and group B treated with Cryo-SP. Both groups received one session at 2 weeks intervals until complete clearance or for a maximum of 5 sessions. The main outcome was complete clearance of warts guided by dermoscopy. Follow-up was carried out for 6 months after the treatment.
Results: Complete clearance occurred in 80.3% in group A compared to 50.8% in group B with a highly significant difference between both groups (p < .001). The clearance rate was faster in group A (1.5 ± 0.40) than group B (4 ± 1.3) (p < .001). The adverse effects were mild in group A than group B (p < .001). The recurrence rate was 2% in group A versus 23.3% in group B (p < .007).patients satisfaction was higher in ILC (p < .001).
Conclusion: Intralesional cryotherapy is more effective, requiring few sessions with a low recurrence rate than cryo-sp.
Keywords: Intralesional cryotherapy; cryosurgery; cryotherapy spray; dermoscopy; recalcitrant plantar warts.