Keloid Management: A Retrospective Case Review on a New Approach Using Surgical Excision, Platelet-Rich Plasma, and In-office Superficial Photon X-ray Radiation Therapy

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of the authors’ combination therapy protocol for keloid treatment. DESIGN: Retrospective. SETTING: Plastic surgery office-based outpatient setting in New York City. PATIENTS: Forty patients with 44 keloid scars requiring surgical excision. INTERVENTIONS: Keloid scars were treated using surgical excision, platelet-rich plasma, and postoperative in-office superficial photon X-ray radiation therapy. Intralesional triamcinolone injections were administered once to 4 patients with poor results on scar scale assessment. Patient follow-up visits ranged from 3 to 11 months to assess for evidence of recurrence and adverse effects. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): For the purpose of this study, recurrence was defined as any sign of extraordinary erythema, induration, and hypertrophy beyond the site of excision. MAIN RESULTS: In the 16 keloids treated with 2 fractions, there was no evidence of recurrence. One of 25 keloids treated with 3 fractions demonstrated evidence of recurrence. One of 3 keloids treated with a single fraction displayed signs of recurrence. Postirradiation hyperpigmentation was noted in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical excision combined with platelet-rich plasma and postoperative in-office superficial radiation therapy achieved a 95.5% nonrecurrence rate at 1- to 3-month follow-up. This protocol appears to be a safe and viable option in the management of keloids and merits further randomized controlled study of its comparative efficacy.