Efficacy of 308-nm excimer light for Japanese patients with psoriasis

J Dermatol. 2009 Nov;36(11):579-82. doi: 10.1111/j.1346-8138.2009.00710.x.

Abstract

Ultraviolet irradiation therapy, including psoralen and ultraviolet A therapy and narrow-band ultraviolet B (310-312 nm) therapy, is a widely used and highly efficient treatment modality for psoriasis. Therapy with 308-nm excimer light has been reported to be effective for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. To evaluate the efficacy of 308-nm excimer light therapy for Japanese psoriasis patients, seven patients (six men and one woman) with plaque-type psoriasis were treated with 308-nm excimer light at 7-14-day intervals. The Psoriasis Severity Index (PSI) was calculated for individual plaques in order to assess the effectiveness of the therapy. A 74.9% mean improvement in the PSI was observed after 10 treatment sessions. These results suggested that targeted irradiation with 308-nm excimer light leads to rapid and selective improvement in plaque-type psoriatic lesions without unnecessary radiation exposure to the surrounding unaffected skin.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Japan
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Psoriasis / diagnosis
  • Psoriasis / radiotherapy*
  • Quality of Life
  • Radiotherapy Dosage
  • Sampling Studies
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Skin / radiation effects*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Ultraviolet Rays
  • Ultraviolet Therapy / methods*