TITLE:
Direct Transplant of Melanocytes from Normal Donor Area into Vitiligenous Recipient Area by Intralesional Injection of Melanocytes Using Spade Like Needle Technique
AUTHORS:
Khalifa E. Sharquie, Adil A. Noaimi, Zahraa N. Al-Khafaji
KEYWORDS:
Direct Transplant of Melanocytes, Intralesional Injection of Melanocytes, Spade Like Needle, Vitiligo
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Cosmetics, Dermatological Sciences and Applications,
Vol.6 No.4,
September
21,
2016
ABSTRACT: Background: Vitiligo is a common autoimmune inflammatory skin disease, where there are
different surgical techniques for treatment of stable patches of vitiligo .Objective: To find non-costly, minimally invasive, simple technique by direct melanocytes
transplant by spade needle technique in treatment of vitiligo. Patients and Methods: This interventional, therapeutic, comparative study was done in Department of
Dermatology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq from April 2014-March
2015. Twenty patients with localized, generalized and segmental vitiligo were included.
Full history and examination for each patient was done with 4 (20%) males and
16 (80%) females and their ages ranged from 9 - 40 (23.15 ± 11.44) years. Forty
one patches in 20 patients treated by spade grafting technique and the donor
and recipient sites were demarcated and anesthesia done by xylocaine 2% with
adrenalin 1:100,000. Transplantation was started by using disposable needle
gauge 18 (the sharp end of needle was cut by a scissor to make it a spade like)
with medical syringe 5 ml supplied with normal saline. The micro-pieces were
taken from donor site and transplanted directly, easily and rapidly into dermis
of recipient site and followed by pushing normal saline and the procedure was
repeated to cover all recipient sites with 5 mm distance between injection points. The
surface area of the lesions was calculated and the reduction rate was estimated
every month till the end of the 4th month period of the treatment. Results: Including 41
patches in 20 patients with the surface area of the patches ranged from 1.5 - 90
cm2 (13.78 ± 17.57) cm2. The mean ±SD of surface area of
lesions was decreased from 13.78 ± 17.57 cm2 at baseline visit to 13.61 ± 17.48 cm2 at the second visit (after 2 weeks ) which was
statistically significant (p value ≤ 0.001). The mean surface area continued to be reduced
till reaching 12.20 ± 15.68 cm2 at the third visit and 12.01 ± 15.55 cm2 at the fourth
visit. All were statistically significant when compared to baseline visit.
There was reduction in surface area 1.1% at two weeks, 9.93%, and 12.5% at the 2nd,
4th months respectively. Conclusions: Intradermal injection of melanocytes in patients with vitiligo
by spade like needle was very quick and simple non-costly technique, and gave
12.5% reduction which could be repeated at different times until satisfactory
re-pigmentation of vitiligenous skin is achieved.