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Laser therapy for the treatment of pearly penile papules

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Abstract

Pearly penile papules (PPP) present as dome-shaped papules of no more than 3 mm in diameter that line the base of the glans of the penis. These benign lesions affect between 14.3 and 48 % of men. While often asymptomatic, PPP can cause a great deal of psychological distress that may warrant treatment. Current treatment options include cryotherapy, electrodessication, and curettage (ED&C). However, these modalities may have considerable adverse cosmetic effects, including scarring, pain, and pigmentary changes. Laser modalities offer clear potential for improved cosmetic outcome in PPP treatment, but is not routinely used. Thus, a systematic review of available literature using the National Library of Medicine database PubMed was completed to find articles relevant to the treatment of PPP with laser and light therapy. The systematic search and screening of articles resulted in inclusion of eight articles discussing a total of 55 patients with PPP treated by laser therapy. The present systematic review found that erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) and CO2 laser were the most commonly reported (n = 45 and 7, respectively). Furthermore, the use of CO2, Er:YAG, pulsed dye laser, and fractional photothermolysis therapies demonstrated complete clearance of PPP in all cases with minimal complications and discomfort. Thus, based on the currently available evidence, laser therapy is a well-tolerated and efficacious method for treating PPP with minimal long-term adverse effects and a cosmetically desirable outcome. Although the included studies are limited in power, this systematic review offers clinically relevant insight into the potential for laser therapy.

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Acknowledgments

Thank you Dr. Andrew Kelsey, MD, for the thoughtful discussions regarding the efficacy of cryotherapy for PPP and input regarding sources.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1475 NW 12th Ave., Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Eric L. Maranda, Kevin J. Moore & Joaquin J. Jimenez

  2. Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Lisa Akintilo

  3. University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA

    Kelsey Hundley

  4. Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, NE, USA

    Austin H. Nguyen

  5. New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA

    Joseph Zullo

Authors
  1. Eric L. Maranda
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  2. Lisa Akintilo
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  3. Kelsey Hundley
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  4. Austin H. Nguyen
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  5. Kevin J. Moore
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  6. Joseph Zullo
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  7. Joaquin J. Jimenez
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric L. Maranda.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Authors’ contributions

Dr. Joaquin J. Jimenez and Eric L. Maranda had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and Design: Maranda, Akintilo, Hundley, Nguyen, Moore, Zullo, and Jimenez. Acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data: Akintilo, Hundley, Nguyen, Moore, Zullo, and Jimenez. Drafting of the manuscript: Akintilo, Hundley, Nguyen, Moore, Zullo, and Jimenez. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content Akintilo, Hundley, Nguyen, Moore, Zullo, and Jimenez. Statistical analysis: N/A. Obtained funding: N/A. Administrative, technical or material support: Akintilo, Hundley, Nguyen, Moore, Zullo. Study supervision: Jimenez.

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Maranda, E.L., Akintilo, L., Hundley, K. et al. Laser therapy for the treatment of pearly penile papules. Lasers Med Sci 32, 243–248 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-016-2065-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-016-2065-x

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