[Laser treatment of warts]

Human papilloma viruses (HPV) lead to common warts in 5% of the population and genital warts in 1% of sexually-active individuals. Although about 50% of HPV infections regress spontaneously, the course is uncertain. Expectant waiting often leads to progression and dissemination. Plantar warts may cause pain on walking, while palmar and genital warts may impair social contacts. There are many treatments for warts, including a variety of laser systems. The CO(2) laser is the best ablative approach, producing cure rates of up to 75% for therapy-resistant common warts in cohort and case-control studies. Side effects such as bleeding, pain and reduced function over weeks must be weighed against the likelihood of success. Considering non-ablative approaches, pulsed dye lasers can be used for a selective, non-bloody destruction of extragenital and genital warts and may become the treatment of choice. In prospective randomized studies, they produced cure rates of up to 82% for therapy-resistant warts with few side effects.