Relapse Prevention of Lichen Slerosus in the Pediatric Phimosis Treated by Surgery

Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic inflammatory and progressive disease, usually located in the anogenital area; spontaneous remission is rare. The disease is more common in females than males (3-10F:1M) but it can also be seen in children and middle-aged men. Objective: The paper aims to investigate the possibility to lower the relapse rate incidence in boys surgically treated because of phimosis produced by LS. Method: Two groups–established according to temporal succession–of 176 boys suffering from phimosis (63.6% with lichen sclerosus in the histologic specimen) were treated by partial circumcision and post-operative topical corticosteroid treatment. For the second group the topical treatment was prolonged. Results: In the second group the incidence rate of relapse of lichen on the residual prepuce was significantly lower (1.6% vs 5.6%). Conclusion: The topical prolonged corticosteroid treatment appears a good therapeutic choice.