Therapeutic Effect of Oral Itraconazole for Verruca Plana

Background: Despite numerous therapeutic methods (destructive surgery, topical application or systemic administration of various medicaments), the treatment of verruca plana still remains unsatisfactory and some novel remedies have been required. The authors noticed incidentally the clearance of verruca plana lesions in a patient who received itraconazole for tinea pedis. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of itraconazole for verruca plana. Methods: The patients with verruca plana were treated with itraconazole (200 mg/day for adults, and 100 mg/day for children below 10 years of age) for 2 weeks. Assessment of clinical response and occurrence of the side effects were examined at weekly intervals. Results: Of the 20 patients, 11 patients (55.0%) had either complete (40.0%) or partial clearance (15.0%) of verruca plana within 2 weeks of itraconazole therapy without severe adverse effects. No significant differences in therapeutic responses were found with regard to ages, sexes and duration of the diseases. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that oral itraconazole could be an effective and safe candidate in the treatment of verruca plana. (Korean J Dermatol 2008;46(1):46∼49)