Reference

Patients

Design

Clearance

Recurrence/side effects

Stone KM, 1990 ³⁰

450

Randomized Control

Surgical excision showed complete clearance of warts in 94% and 71% after 6 weeks and 3 months

Recurrence

Simmons, PD 1981 ³¹

42

Randomized Control

No significant difference over 3 months follow-up comparing cry therapy versus electrocautery

No data

Eron et al, 1993 ³³

97

Randomized control, double blind

Interferon alpha-2a had no benefit as an adjuvant to cryotherapy.

28% of interferon recipients and 43% of placebo recipients experienced recurrences. At six months follow-up, 69% interferon and 73% placebo recipients experienced recurrences.

Handley et al1991 ³⁴

91

Randomized control

At eight weeks subcutaneous IFN alpha 2a combined with cryotherapy showed 60.7% clearance versus 67.9% clearance with cryotherapy alone.

Recurrence at three months was 50% and 37.5% of patients in the IFN and placebo groups respectively

Abdullah et al 1993 ³⁵

86

Randomized controlled

86% clearance of warts in patients who received cryotherapy vs 70% of patients who received trichloracetic acid.

No data on recurrences.  Ulcerations at the site of application developed in 30% of the TCA treated patients

Damstra et al 1991 ³⁶

134

Clinical trial

Showed clearance in 83% within 4 weeks and 96% after 6 weeks with cryotherapy versus 13% and 45% after 4 weeks and 6 weeks, respectively in the control

No data

Godley et al 1987 ³⁷

130

Randomized Control

Showed clearance in 88% of patients treated with cryotherapy versus 81% of those treated with TCAA

Recurrence found in 36% of patients treated with TCAA and in 39% of those treated with cryotherapy.