Tropical medicine rounds: Treatment of acute cutaneous leishmaniasis with intralesional injection of meglumine antimoniate: comparison of conventional technique with mesotherapy gun

BACKGROUND: The gold standard treatment of Old World leishmaniasis, a common tropical parasitic infestation, is intralesional meglumine antimoniate injection. Mesotherapy is a new minimally invasive method of administration of variable substances to the skin. OBJECTIVE: Comparison of the efficacy and adverse effects of treatment of leishmaniasis with intralesional injection of meglumine antimoniate using conventional method and mesotherapy method. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-five patients with proven leishmaniasis were recruited and randomly treated by one of the two methods, either by conventional injection or by mesotherapy administration weekly. Lesion characteristics were evaluated at every treatment session as well as 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after cessation of treatment. RESULTS: The improvement in lesions was similar in both groups, while it was noted sooner in mesotherapy group with less amount of drug usage (P = 0.005 and 0.016 respectively). Also, patients treated with mesotherapy experienced less pain severity (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Mesotherapy is a safe and effective method of meglumine antimoniate injection for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis and is less painful.