Topical Treatment of Resistant Warts with Glutaraldehyde

Abstract

Eighteen (72%) out of twenty-five cases were cured, and the other seven (28%) were not. The individual cure rates of the three conditions above were 80%, 60%, and 68.5% respectively. Pigmentary changes occurred immediately after the initial topical application of glutaraldehyde, and the surface of the verruca hardened. Soon afterwards some debris began to drop off of the verruca tissue little by little, and final healing was completed by less than twelve weeks without disagreeable marks. This therapy was found to be extremely useful, not only because the cure rate was high, but the following advantages were also noted: 1) no pain or pruritus, 2) no evidence of scarring or permanent pigmentary change, 3) good penetration in any location, 4) no need for special instruments or reagents except the solution, and 5) no special technique required (possible home treatment). This therapy is superior to cryotherapy (CT) in that it is useful for warts on any location, regardless of the number of lesions, and it is good for young children, although the cure rates for CT and GA are almost equal.

Treatment of common warts with surgery and systemic isotretinoin

“…Destructive therapies consist of salicylic acids, cryotherapy, thermocautery/curettage and cautery, chemical cautery, carbon dioxide laser, pulsed dye laser, and photodynamic therapy [3,7,13,15,24,25,26,28,29]. Virucidal methods consist of formaldehyde and gluteraldehyde [11]. Antimitotic therapy is achieved by podophyllin/podophyllotoxin, bleomycin, and retinoids [1,6,8,9,14,16].…”

“…There is no single treatment that is 100% effective, and different types of therapy may be combined. The appropriate treatment option depends on a variety of factors (including the age of the patient, location of the lesion, past treatment, etc) and includes a variety of acids, podophyllin, podophyllotoxin, chemotherapeutic agents, retinoids, topical sensitizers, a spectrum of surgical techniques, and cryotherapy [1,2,3,6,7,8,9,11,12,13,14,15,16,21,22,23,24,25,26,28,29,30].…”

Wart Regression in Children: Comparison of Relaxation-Imagery to Topical Treatment and Equal Time Interventions

“…Several therapies for warts have reported "cure" rates of 80% or more in the short term but many have suffered from problems with patient tolerance and acceptance as well as wart recurrence (Berth-Jones & Hutchinson, 1992;Keefe & Dick, 1990). Such therapies have included curettage, laser treatment, cryotherapy, interferon injection, and glutaraldehyde or salicylicllactic acid applications (Bourke, Berth-Jones & Hutchinson, 1995;Esterly, 1987;Halasz, 1994;Hirose et al, 1994). Most have associated discomfort on administration, blistering and irritation after administration or later scarring which limit their acceptance by children and families (Janniger.…”

Tackling warts on the hands and feet

“…In a cohort of 25 patients with resistant warts (multiple or unresponsive to previous treatment), a 20% solution of glutaraldehyde applied once daily cleared warts in 72% of patients within 3 months 8. Glutaraldehyde can stain the skin brown.…”