Efficacy of cryotherapy versus radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of plantar warts

Abstract

<span>Background: Plantar warts may be refractory to any form of </span><span>treatment and are associated with pain and a decreased quality of </span><span>life. There are very few randomized controlled studies that focus</span><br /><span>on the treatment of plantar warts. Cryotherapy and radiofrequency </span><span>ablation (RFA) have been used in the treatment of this recalcitrant </span><span>condition. However, no data exists comparing the efficacy of</span><br /><span>these treatment options in the treatment of plantar warts. The </span><span>aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of cryotherapy and </span><span>RFA in the treatment of plantar warts.</span><br /><span>Method: Fifty patients with a clinical diagnosis of plantar warts </span><span>were included in the study. They were randomly divided into </span><span>two groups of 25 patients. After paring the warts, Group A was</span><br /><span>treated with cryotherapy with nitrous oxide and Group B was </span><span>treated by RFA of warts every 2 weeks for a maximum period </span><span>of 12 weeks. The results of the two groups were compared at</span><br /><span>the end of 12 weeks.</span><br /><span>Result: Fifty patients had a total of 212 warts. Eighty four percent </span><span>(21/25) of the patients receiving RFA experienced subjective </span><span>benefits within 2 sessions whereas in the cryotherapy group, </span><span>72% (19/25) of the patients required three to four sessions to </span><span>experience subjective benefits (p = 0.00189). Eighty four percent </span><span>(21/25) of the patients and 91.6% (121/132) of the warts in the</span><br /><span>RFA group achieved complete clearance by the end of 12 weeks </span><span>whereas only 32% (8/25) of the patients and 31.25 % (25/80) of </span><span>the warts receiving cryotherapy achieved complete clearance by</span><br /><span>the end of 12 weeks (p = 0.00681).</span><br /><span>Conclusion: Radiofrequency ablation is more effective than </span><span>cryotherapy in the treatment of plantar warts and gives quicker </span><span>subjective and objective results.</span>