Topical corticosteroids offer an effective alternative for treating phimosis in boys .
Although sub optimal reporting among the included studies meant that the size of the effect remains uncertain , corticosteroids appear to be a safe , less invasive first-line treatment option before undertaking surgery to correct phimosis in boys
BACKGROUND Until recently , phimosis has been treated surgically by circumcision or prepuceplasty ; however , recent reports of non-invasive treatment using topical corticosteroids applied for four to eight weeks have been favourable .
The efficacy and safety of topical corticosteroids for treating phimosis in boys has not been previously systematic ally review ed .
OBJECTIVES We aim ed to 1 ) compare the effectiveness of the use of topical corticosteroid ointment applied to the distal stenotic portion of the prepuce in the resolution of phimosis in boys compared with the use of placebo or no treatment , and 2 ) determine the rate of partial resolution ( improvement ) of phimosis , rate of re-stenosis after initial resolution or improvement of phimosis , and the rate of adverse events of topical corticosteroid treatment in boys with phimosis .
Topical steroid application versus circumcision in pediatric patients with phimosis: a prospective randomized placebo controlled clinical trial
Objectives Topical steroids have been advocated as an effective alternative treatment to circumcision in boys with phimosis . We evaluated the effectiveness of topical steroid therapy compared to a placebo neutral cream in 240 patients with phimosis . Methods A prospect i ve study was carried out over a 24-months period , on an out-patient basis on two groups of patients with phimosis . One-hundred twenty patients applied a steroid cream twice a day for 4 weeks , and another group of 120 pts used a placebo cream twice a day for 4 weeks . Patients were assigned to either group by a computer-generated r and om choice . Results All patients in our series completed the two treatment periods without interruption . At a median follow-up of 20 months ( 6–30 months ) therapeutic success was obtained in 43.75 % ( 99/240 ) of cases , independently of the protocol . In particular , therapeutic success was obtained in 65.8 % ( 79/120 ) of cases in the steroids group and in 16.6 % ( 20/120 ) of cases in the placebo group , the difference being statistically significant ( P < 0.0001 , Mann – Withney test ) . Conclusion Our study shows that topical steroids represent a good alternative to surgery in case of phimosis . Steroid therapy using monometasone furoate 0.1 % in our series gave better results that placebo with an overall efficacy of 65.8 % . In patients where a phimotic ring persist after steroid therapy , circumcision is m and atory
Topical corticosteroids offer an effective alternative for treating phimosis in boys .
Although sub optimal reporting among the included studies meant that the size of the effect remains uncertain , corticosteroids appear to be a safe , less invasive first-line treatment option before undertaking surgery to correct phimosis in boys
BACKGROUND Until recently , phimosis has been treated surgically by circumcision or prepuceplasty ; however , recent reports of non-invasive treatment using topical corticosteroids applied for four to eight weeks have been favourable .
The efficacy and safety of topical corticosteroids for treating phimosis in boys has not been previously systematic ally review ed .
OBJECTIVES We aim ed to 1 ) compare the effectiveness of the use of topical corticosteroid ointment applied to the distal stenotic portion of the prepuce in the resolution of phimosis in boys compared with the use of placebo or no treatment , and 2 ) determine the rate of partial resolution ( improvement ) of phimosis , rate of re-stenosis after initial resolution or improvement of phimosis , and the rate of adverse events of topical corticosteroid treatment in boys with phimosis .