Perilesional sclerotherapy with foam is a safe and efficient therapy for patients with chronic venous leg ulcers even with postthrombotic syndrome and/ or ongoing anticoagulation.

The laser Doppler flow is influenced by the number and the velocity of erythrocytes in the tissue. The greater increase of laser Doppler flow than of vessel density in histological sections demonstrates that the flow signal in skin tumors is caused by neovascularization as well as by functional hyperemia. Laser Doppler perfusion imaging is a useful method for non-invasive, repeated and quantitative assessment of tumor vascular network and effects of antiangiogenic treatment directed vs. tumor vasculature in vivo, but it cannot distinguish between increased vessel density and reactive hyperemia.

In a randomized study 30 patients with chronic stationary psoriasis were treated with 3 different topical schemes. Group 1 (n = 10) received monotherapy (dithranol (D) twice a day, D/D), group 2 (n = 10) calcipotriol mornings/dithranol evenings (calcipotriol (C)/dithranol (D) C/D) and 3 (mometasone (M) mornings/dithranol (D) evenings, M/D). During the therapy period of 4 weeks we documented the PASI-Score as well as infiltration, erythema and desquamation weekly. The M/D group revealed in the first week a significantly faster reduction of the PASI-score (5.3) than in the D/D group (PASI 13.22). The C/D group (PASI 10.5) show a not significantly faster reduction. After 4 weeks of treatment and after a follow period of 6 weeks there were similar PASI-Scores in all groups. There were less side-effects in the M/D group than in the others. The beginning, more anti-psoriatic effectiveness was achieved by the mometasone/dithranol combination than the other schemes. In the long term, the effects were similar.

We examined whether it is possible to increase the antipsoriatic action by combining dithranol with a retinoid (tazarotene). In a randomized, open, prospective study with 50 psoriatic patients (22 females, 28 males, PASI>10) the antipsoriatic effectiveness of dithranol monotherapy to was compared combined therapy with dithranol and retinoid. The combination dithranol/retinoid (collective 2, reduction of the PASI from 17,2 to 2,8) revealed a significantly faster healing than the dithranol monotherapy (collective 1, reduction of the PASI from 18,5 to 4,8). The irritation of the combination therapy as evaluated with clinical score and laser doppler imaging was increased. Anti-psoriatic effectiveness of dithranol can be increased by combining it with tazarotene.

No abstract