Pyogenic granuloma in a patient with psoriasis successfully treated by 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy: A case report

Pyogenic granuloma (PG) is an acquired benign vascular tumor of unknown etiology. In the present case report, PG was detected in a 49-year-old Chinese male patient with chronic plaque psoriasis. The psoriasis lesions on the finger where the granuloma had developed had been scratched excessively, as declared by the patient. No retinoid therapeutic agents were used during treatment. The patient responded poorly to cryotherapy and surgical curettage. However, following one session of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT), signs of improvement were demonstrated 1 week after the treatment, and 1 month following treatment, there were no signs of reoccurrence. Although a report demonstrating treatment success in one patient may be inadequate to estimate the true efficiency of ALA-PDT, dermatologists may consider ALA-PDT as an alternative therapy for stubborn PG.