Assessment of topical corticosteroid ointment on postcesarean scars prevention: A prospective clinical trial

Corticosteroid Ointment on Post-Cesarean Scars Prevention

  • Elif Meseci Acıbadem Kozyatagı Hospital
Keywords: Cicatrix, Methyl prednisolonate, Topical administration, Wound healing

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of corticosteroid ointment in hypertrophic scars prevention following Cesarean section.

Methods: This study was conducted between June 2017-May 2018 in Acıbadem Kozyatagı Hospital. Sixty-one patients (31 treatment and 30 control patients) took part in the current study which evaluated wound outcomes and patient satisfaction. All patients’ wound characteristics were assessed via the modified Vancouver Scar Scale (MVSS) score (height, pigmentation, vascularity, and pliability) at baseline (post-op 10th day), three months and six months. The treatment group received corticosteroid cream every other day for three months. Comparative evaluations and time-bound changes were evaluated in both groups.

Results: The mean age of the subjects was 31.28 ± 3.95 years. While the height and vascularity subsection scores of corticosteroid recipients were significantly reduced compared to those without treatment at three months, the scores were similar at six months. Furthermore, pliability and pigmentation decreased equally in both groups. There was high satisfaction with scar healing in the experimental group (20%, n=6), while 12.9% (n=4) of the patients were satisfied in the control group. Two patients reported itching after treatment.

Conclusions: The clinical outcomes in both groups were similar. Although vascularity and height parameters improved in three months, similar results were also observed in the group that did not receive treatment after the end of six months. This may have been due to the fact that treatment was stopped after three months. We recommend that the hypothesis be tested in larger series in future studies.

How to cite this:
Meseci E. Assessment of topical corticosteroid ointment on postcesarean scars prevention: A prospective clinical trial. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(2):309-314. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.2.553

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Published
2019-03-18
How to Cite
Meseci, E. (2019). Assessment of topical corticosteroid ointment on postcesarean scars prevention: A prospective clinical trial: Corticosteroid Ointment on Post-Cesarean Scars Prevention. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 35(2). https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.2.553
Section
Original Articles