Long-term follow-up of intradermal injection of methylene blue for intractable, idiopathic pruritus ani

Abstract

BackgroundWhile various medical treatments such as topical steroid ointment, antihistamine agent, and sedatives have been used for treating idiopathic intractable pruritus ani, they are not long-term solutions, due to the high recurrence rate. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of methylene-blue intradermal-injection therapy for treating patients with idiopathic intractable pruritus ani. Symptom improvement and recurrence rates were determined with a long-term follow-up.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted from January 2011 to October 2013 on consecutive patients with intractable pruritus ani treated with methylene-blue intradermal injection. The therapy included 5\xa0ml of 1% methylene blue and 15\xa0ml of 1% lidocaine. Follow-up included a physical exam and satisfaction-score survey (1\u2009=\u2009much worse, 2\u2009=\u2009worse, 3\u2009=\u2009no improvement, 4\u2009=\u2009much better, 5\u2009=\u2009gone completely) before treatment, 6\xa0weeks after treatment, and 3\xa0years after treatment to check patient status and recurrence rate.ResultsOf 103 treated patients, 96 were able to attend the 6-week follow-up visit. There were 58 (60.4%) males and 38 (39.6%) females with a mean age of 48.34\u2009±\u200910.21\xa0years. Their mean satisfaction score at 6 weeks was 4.23\u2009±\u20090.86. Of the total of 96 patients, 9 (9.4%) patients scored 3 or less in their satisfactions score at 6 weeks. 62 (64.6%) patients were evaluated 3-year post-treatment. The satisfaction score at 3\xa0years after treatment was 4.74\u2009±\u20090.57. Besides the 9 patients who initially failed treatment, 4 of the remaining 53 patients scored 3 or less in their satisfaction score surveys. Thus, the recurrence rate at 3\xa0years was 7.5% (4/53).ConclusionsMethylene-blue intradermal injection can result in a high symptom improvement rate with low recurrence rate for patients with idiopathic pruritus ani.