Abstract: Objective To investigate the efficacy of 308-nm excimer laser for the treatment of vitiligo in patients of different ages,lesions at different body sites,and of different disease duration,as well as the relationship between the efficacy and disease duration.Methods An open study with two parallel-groups was conducted.Three hundred and sixty patients with stable vitiligo were assigned into two groups,adults(n=180) and children(n=180),and both groups were locally irradiated with 308-nm excimer laser twice a week for ten weeks(twenty times in total) and followed up for three months.Results The total effective rates and markedly improvement rates were 62.2% and 34.4%,respectively,in adult group,and 63.3% and 44.4%,respectively,in children group.No significant difference was found between the two groups in either of the two rates(both P > 0.05).The best response was observed in vitiligo patches on the face and neck,followed in decreasing order by those on the trunk or extremities and those on the acras or joints.There was significant difference in the therapeutic effect among patches at different body sites(p< 0.05).In addition,the lesions of different duration showed different responses to the treatment.It seemed that the shorter the duration of lesions was,the better the effect would be obtained,and appropriate prolongation of therapeutic time could increase the efficacy of 308-nm excimer laser.Conclusions 308-nm excimer laser is an effective modality for the treatment of stable vitiligo with rapid acting and few adverse effects.Its efficacy for vitiligo is significantly affected by location of lesions,disease duration and number of treatment,but not by the ages of patients.

Key words: Vitiligo, Controlled clinical trials, Excimer laser