[The use of lasers in treating condyloma acuminatum]

Seventy-eight patients with condyloma acuminatum (51 with a lesion in the vulva, 11 in the uterine cervix, 1 in the vagina, 15 in multiple sites) have been treated by using three types of laser beam. The period to obtain epithelization after first treatment at the vulva, cervix and vagina was 4.4 +/- 1.8, 5.2 +/- 1.1 and 4.1 +/- 0.6 weeks (Mean +/- SD) respectively. The cure rates at the 10th week after first treatment and after first treatment during the follow-up periods between 10 weeks and 63 months were 78.2% (61/78) and 70.5% (55/78), respectively. The latter cure rates for each lesion were 70.3% in the vulva, 84.2% in the cervix and 72.7% in the vagina. In the recurrent group (62.5%), the incidence of partners with the disease was significantly higher (p less than 0.05) than that in the non-recurrent group (26.3%). No significant complication due to the therapy was found during or after treatment. This clinical study indicates that laser therapy is a useful method of treatment for condyloma acuminatum because of the short term healing with less complications and good cure rates.