EFFICACY OF INTRALESIONAL ACYCLOVIR VS CRYOTHERAPY FOR TREATMENT OF PLANTAR WARTS: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
Abstract
Introduction:
Warts, benign proliferation of skin and mucosa caused by human papilloma virus (HPV), are treated by different modalities among which cryotherapy remains the most common.
Objective:
To assess comparative efficacy of Intralesional acyclovir versus cryotherapy for plantar warts.
Study Design:
Quasi-experimental study.
Materials and Methods:
Eighty-four patients of plantar warts (1-10 in number) were enrolled after ethical approval, informed consent and divided into group A and B after block randomization. Group A patients received intralesional Acyclovir in a dose of 0.1ml (70mg/ml) at the base of each wart while Group B patients had cryotherapy for two freeze and thaw cycles with each cycle of 10 seconds duration. Size and clinical photographs were noted at baseline and follow-up every 2 weeks (maximum 5 sessions) and followed for further 4 months. Response was considered as complete (100% resolution), partial (resolution 50-99%) or no response (resolution <50%).
Results:
A total of 84 patients with 42 (78.6% Males and 21.4% females) in group A and 42 (54.8% males and 45.2% females) in group B, having mean age 27.79±4.36 and 26.74±6.03 years, mean wart size 0.43±0.09 and 0.49±0.09 cm and mean number of warts 1.61±1.06 and 1.67±1.12 in each group respectively. 83.3% achieved complete response in Group A whereas 47.6% achieved complete and partial responses respectively and 4.7% had no response in Group B (p<0.001).
Conclusion:
Acyclovir is an effective treatment modality of cutaneous warts with better results in males presenting with single plantar wart.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Faisal Ahmad, Natasha Shahid Janjua, Muneeza Rizwan
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