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Elephantiasis nostras verrucosa successfully treated by surgical debridement
Fumiya Iwao1, Kazuko C Sato-Matsumura, Daisuke Sawamura
1Department of Dermatology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
Background:
Elephantiasis nostras verrucosa represents a rare group of cutaneous changes comprising dermal fibrosis, hyperkeratotic, verrucous, and papillomatous lesions after chronic secondary, nonfilarial lymphedema. There is no standard treatment for this rare cutaneous manifestation.
Objective:
This article describes debridement that is helpful when performed in addition to physiotherapy.
Methods:
We present a patient who was treated by shaving the verrucous area with a blade of a freehand knife and by subsequent abrading of the mossy area using a motor-powered grinder.
Results:
Reepithelization was completed in 2 weeks. A compression stocking was used to treat the lymphedema. Ten months after the operation, we saw no signs of disease recurrence. The result was also aesthetically satisfactory.
Conclusions:
Surgery in such case may not always be the best treatment because it does not treat the cause of disease but only treats the cutaneous symptoms. Nevertheless, debridement is a rapid and an aesthetically acceptable form of treatment.
