Clinical efficacy of the combined use of a pulsed dye laser and enzyme preparation phonophoresis in patients with immature hypertrophic skin scars

BACKGROUND: Taking into account the role of angiogenesis processes in the zone of development of immature scar tissue, it seems pathogenetically justified to use a vascular laser for the correction of hypertrophic skin scars that are at the maturation stage. In this regard, we used a pulsed dye laser, the effect of which is perceived by the patient without pronounced pain, and the technology itself is quite safe and leads to a rapid recovery of the skin after the procedure. Fermencol phonophoresis supplementation of laser therapy with pulsed dye laser has the potential to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of a vascular laser, since Fermenkol is a preparation of collagenases of hydrobiont origin that can destroy the components of the extracellular matrix, the formation of which exceeds in intensity its degradation by matrix metalloproteinases at the stage of formation scar. The use of ultrasound in this case not only accelerates the delivery of proteolytic enzymes, but also exhibits independent fibromodulatory activity.

AIM: comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of the use of physiotherapeutic factors (Fermenkol phonophoresis, pulsed dye laser therapy and their combination) in patients with immature hypertrophic skin scars, taking into account clinical research methods.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was performed on 125 patients aged 19 to 50 years with immature (less than 6 months) hypertrophic skin scars. All patients were divided into 4 groups according to the simple fixed randomization procedure. The first group (control, 32 patients) received course local compression therapy using silicone plates for two months. The second group (31 patients) was treated with phonophoresis of 0.01% Fermencol gel. The third group (31 patients) was treated with pulsed dye laser. The fourth group (31 patients) received complex treatment, including a combination of two pulsed dye laser procedures and two cycles of Fermencol phonophoresis. Patients were examined twice: before the start of treatment and 2 weeks after the end of the course of treatment. The assessment of the clinical condition of patients was carried out according to the modified Vancouver scale for assessing the signs of cicatricial deformity.

RESULTS: Conducting a course of treatment of patients with immature hypertrophic skin scars made it possible to establish a good tolerability of the effects of physiotherapeutic factors. At the same time, the positive dynamics of clinical manifestations of cicatricial changes in the skin, assessed by Vancouver scar scale, in the control and main groups was not the same and increased in the following order: Control < Fermencol phonophoresis < pulsed dye laser < pulsed dye laser + Fermencol phonophoresis. The use of the correlation adaptometry technique, which makes it possible to objectify the obtained clinical data, evaluating them using the category of functional reserves of the body, confirmed that the best clinical result was achieved in the group recieved combined use of pulsed dye laser and Fermencol phonophoresis.

CONCLUSION: The conclusion was made about the maximum therapeutic effect in the group of complex use of pulsed dye laser and ultrasound administration of an enzyme preparation, which manifested itself due to the synergistic type of interaction between two physiotherapeutic factors that have different modalities, points of application and mechanisms for implementing their therapeutic activity.