[Treatment of condylomata acuminata: efficacy of the carbon dioxide laser]

The treatment of condyloma acuminatum may be long and tiresome owing to frequent recurrences, and the multiple physical or chemical therapies utilized bear witness to the difficulties often encountered in trying to eradicate the lesions. CO2 laser is a therapeutic alternative with some advantages, such as minimal peripheral thermal necrosis with a lower risk of scar or stricture, haemostasis and perhaps sterilizing effect. Between 1985 and 1987, 69 patients (58 men and 11 women; mean age 29 years) treated with CO2 laser and followed up for at least 6 months without recurrence entered our study. All patients had multiple lesions located in the genital region in 32 cases, in the anal region in 22 cases and in both the genital and anal regions in 15 cases. The majority of patients (85%) had been referred to us owing to failure of previous treatments. We used the CO2 laser coupled with a hand-piece, working by continuous emission, with a power of 300 to 800 watts/sq.cm. Superficial vaporization of the area around the condyloma was systematically performed. Seventy-seven percent of the patients were treated under local anaesthesia. In 16 patients with intra-anal or profuse ano-genital lesions the first vaporization was carried out under general anaesthesia. Twenty-two patients (32%) were cured in one session and 19 (28%) in two sessions. Twenty-eight patients had several recurrences requiring repeated treatments (3 to 5 in 17 cases, 6 to 10 in 10 cases, 31 in 1 case) over a 2 to 17 months' period. No major complications, notably scarring, were observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)