A comparative study on efficacy of fractional carbondioxide laser assisted topical antifungal therapy with topical antifungal therapy alone for treatment of onychomycosis in adult north Indian population

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study is to compare the efficacy of fractional carbondioxide laser assisted topical antifungal therapy with topical antifungal therapy alone for treatment of onychomycosis in adult north Indian population.Methods: We investigated 50 clinically suspected patient’s nails of both gender and aged above 18 years for onychomycosis by KOH examination and Culture. The patients were then randomly divided in two groups, Group A and Group B with 25 patients in each group. Patients in group A received only topical antifungal drugs at 2 weeks of interval for 6 months. Patients in group B received fractional CO2 laser treatment combined with topical antifungal drugs for 6 months. Nails of patients in each study group were analysed by clinical findings and Scoring Clinical Index for onychomycosis.Results: Patients in group B who were treated with a combination of fractional CO2 and topical antifungal showed a statistically significant improvement in SCIO scoring as compared to group A. Conclusion: Fractional CO2 laser assisted topical antifungal therapy is more effective treatment for onychomycosis as compared to topical antifungal therapy alone in adult north Indian population.