PUVA Bath Photochemotherapy for Localized Scleroderma

Abstract

<h3>REPORT OF A CASE</h3> A 42-year-old woman who suffered for more than 2 years from disseminated localized scleroderma (LS) (<b>Figure 1</b>) markedly improved during treatment with psoralen with UV-A (PUVA) bath photochemotherapy with 8-methoxy-psoralen (8-MOP).¹The 8-MOP was applied to the skin during a warm water bath, which was immediately followed by UV-A exposure. Clinical, histological, and ultrasound indications of LS (<b>Figure 2</b>) regressed almost completely during PUVA bath photochemotherapy in this and 2 other patients, 1 with disseminated LS and 1 with contractures caused by linear LS of the dorsal aspects of the left thigh and entire left leg.¹ <h3>THERAPEUTIC CHALLENGE</h3> No single therapy produces uniform disease remission in LS.^2-6A safe and effective therapy associated with the least potential complications is required. <h3>SOLUTION</h3> Since clinical regression of sclerosis was confirmed by ultrasound and histological evaluations, we considered PUVA bath photochemotherapy a promising novel therapeutic approach