ASSESSMENT OF EFFICACY OF FRACTIONAL CO? LASER WITH INTRALESIONAL GLUCANTIME VERSUS INTRALESIONAL GLUCANTIME ALONE FOR TREATMENT OF CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS

Mohammad Hammoud*, Dr. Abdullah Alkhair and Dr. Jamal Khadam

ABSTRACT

Background: Leishmaniasis is considered a significant health issue in Syria, with increasing incidence rates. Although spontaneous healing is possible, post-healing scars affect patients' quality of life. Due to the lack of response in some cases to antimonial compounds, alternative therapies have been explored, provided they are effective, safe, affordable, and accessible. Objective: To compare the efficacy of intralesional injection of Glucantime alone versus combination with fractional CO₂ laser in treating cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions, and to evaluate side effects and correlation with age, gender, and disease duration. Materials and Methods: Forty patients were randomly divided into two groups: one treated with intralesional Glucantime twice weekly, the other received the same plus fractional CO₂ laser therapy (parameters: 25 J, dot cycle 5, pixel pitch 1 mm, 1 pass) twice with two-week intervals. side effects monitored. Data analyzed with SPSS v26. Results: Complete healing was observed in 72.4% of lesions, partial improvement in 18.8%, no improvement in 8.6%. The combination group had significantly higher cure rates (p=0.001). No correlation between improvement and age, gender, or disease duration. Side effects were mild and comparable between groups. Conclusion: Combination therapy of fractional CO₂ laser with intralesional Glucantime is more effective than Glucantime alone with good safety profile.

Keywords: Leishmaniasis, Glucantime, Fractional CO? Laser.