Treatment of condyloma acuminata with carbon dioxide laser: a prospective study.

The common wart has been a ubiquitous problem throughout recorded history. In recent times, the genital wart has assumed more and more importance. These viral growths cause itching and burning as well as more severe problems. Treatment traditionally has included a large variety of preparations from nature. Subsequently, man-made chemicals were used along with freezing, burning, and surgical excision. Because of the pain, bleeding, scarring, and high recurrence rate with these treatments, a study was instituted in 1978 to evaluate the advantages of the CO2 laser for treatment of this condition. Results have been excellent, far exceeding what we expected. Recurrence rate has been under 2%. The control group had the usual high rate of persistence and recurrence. Recent work pointing to a strong association between human papilloma virus (HPV) and cancer of the female genitals suggests an increasing need for early, vigorous, and more effective treatment of these lesions.