Effect of intralesional sodium stibogluconate alone versus combinations with topical trichloroacetic acid 50% or fractional carbon dioxide laser on cutaneous leishmaniasis

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne protozoal disease. Antimonial drugs remain the first-line treatment for CL despite the widespread drug resistance and high incidence of side effects. The present study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of traditional intralesional sodium stibogluconate (SSG) alone and its combinations with trichloroacetic acid (TCA) 50% and fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser for the treatment of CL. Materials and Methods: An interventional study was carried out on 25 CL patients. In each patient, three lesions were assigned to treatment either by SSG alone (GI), SSG plus TCA 50% (GII), or SSG plus fractional CO2 laser (GIII). The overall clinical improvement and changes in the sizes of lesions and scars were assessed and compared among the three groups. Results: GIII patients had significantly lower treatment sessions as compared to GI patients (3.6 ± 1.29 versus 4.04 ± 2.11, P = 0.042). Moreover, GII and GIII patients had significantly shorter healing times when compared with GI (3.63 ± 1.35 and 3.46 ± 1.25, respectively, versus 4.0 ± 2.15 weeks, P = 0.019). Also, it was shown that GIII patients had significantly lower scar scores (1.40 ± 1.52) when compared with GI (3.00 ± 0.0) and GII (2.80 ± 1.10), P = 0.017. Conclusions: Intralesional SSG with TCA 50% is more effective than SSG alone and is comparable to SSG and fractional CO2 combination in the treatment of CL with better safety profile and patient satisfaction