Comparison of clinical efficacy and complications between Q-switched alexandrite laser and Q-switched Nd:YAG laser on nevus of Ota: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Although the application of Q-switched lasers on nevus of Ota (OTA) is well demonstrated, debates about clinical option between Q-switched alexandrite laser (QSA) and Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (QSNY) still remain. This systematic review and meta-analysis estimated the overall successful rate of OTA pigment clearance and complication rate of QSA and QSNY and evaluated which laser could produce a better result. English articles evaluating pigment clearance and complications of QSA and/or QSNY on OTA were screened through predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria and analyzed. The successful rate of pigment clearance and complication rate of QSA and QSNY were respectively calculated using a random-effects or fixed-effects model, depending on the heterogeneity of the included studies. The successful rate and complication rate of QSA and QSNY were compared statistically. Of the 140 articles searched, 13 met inclusion criteria. Totally, 2153 OTA patients treated by QSA and 316 patients treated by QSNY were analyzed. In QSA and QSNY groups, respectively, the successful rate of OTA pigment clearance was 48.3 % (95 % confidence interval (CI) 19.9–76.8 %) and 41 % (95 % CI 9.7–72.2 %), while the complication rate was 8.0 % (95 % CI 3.9–12.2 %) and 13.4 % (95 % CI 7.7–19.0 %). When compared with QSNY, QSA had a significantly higher successful rate (P = 0.017), and a lower complication rate (P = 0.000). According to this review, QSA may surpass QSNY in treatment for OTA as it had a superior successful rate of pigment clearance and a lower complication rate than QSNY did.