Vibration Anesthesia for Pain Reduction During Intralesional Steroid Injection for Keloid Treatment

BACKGROUND Patients suffer significant pain during intralesional steroid injection treatment for keloids and hypertrophic scars. Vibration anesthesia has been shown to effectively and safely alleviate pain sensations, likely by reducing pain transmission from peripheral receptors to the brain. OBJECTIVE The objective was to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and patient satisfaction associated with vibration anesthesia for reducing pain during intralesional corticosteroid injection. METHODS The authors recruited 40 patients with 58 keloids who were scheduled to undergo intralesional triamcinolone acetonide (TA) injections. Half of each keloid was injected with concomitant vibration anesthesia, whereas the other half was injected without vibration anesthesia. Pain experienced by patients during both procedures was assessed according to visual analog scale (VAS) score. The authors also assessed procedure safety. RESULTS The mean VAS score during intralesional TA injection therapy without vibration was 5.88 +/- 2.34. By contrast, the same patients yielded a mean VAS score during intralesional TA injection therapy with vibration of 3.28 +/- 1.85; the difference between the mean scores was significant (p<.05). Thirty-nine (97.5%) patients tolerated this therapy well. CONCLUSION Vibration anesthesia is a promising option for reducing pain during keloid treatment with intralesional steroid injection.