Clinical effects of CO₂ fractional laser preconditioning combined with photodynamic therapy in the treatment of actinic keratosis

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of CO₂ fractional laser preconditioning combined with photodynamic therapy in the treatment of actinic keratosis.

MethodsA total of 30 patients with actinic keratosis were randomly divided into the control group and observation group (15 cases in each group).The control group was treated with photodynamic therapy, while the observation group was pretreated with CO₂ fractional laser, then treated with photodynamic therapy.Two groups were treated once every 1 to 2 weeks.If the skin lesions did not completely subside after one treatment, the treatment could be repeated, and the total treatment times of one course of treatment should not exceed 6 times.Two groups were followed up after 4 weeks and 6 months of treatment.

ResultsAfter 4 weeks of treatment, the effective rate of the observation group(100.00%) was higher than that of control group(60.00%) (P < 0.05).After 6 months of treatment, the recurrence rate of the control group(46.67%) was higher than that of the observation group(6.67%) (P < 0.05).There was no statistical significance in the pain score during treatment between two groups (P>0.05), and no serious adverse events occurred in two groups during treatment and follow-up.

ConclusionsCO₂ fractional laser pretreatment can better remove the solar keratosis skin rash, effectively reduce the recurrence of skin rash, and is safe without obvious adverse reactions.