Efficacy Of Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser Combined With Topical Antifungal Agents For Onychomycosis: A Meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of fractional carbon dioxide laser combined with topical antifungal agents in the treatment of onychomycosis and to provide an alternative way for clinical treatment of onychomycosis.Methods: A computer search was conducted to search the controlled or non-controlled prospective clinical trials related to the efficacy of fractional carbon dioxide laser combined with topical antifungal agents published in China Biology Medicine(CBM),China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),VIP Database,Wanfang Database,Embase,the Cochrane Library and Pubmed from January 1,2011 to January 1,2021.Meta-analysis was performed with Rev Man 5.3 and Stata 15.0 software.Results: The clinical marked effective rate of fractional carbon dioxide laser combined with topical antifungal agents in the treatment of onychomycosis was 80%,95% CI(0.72-0.87),and the mycological clearance rate was 72%,95% CI(0.63-0.81).The clinical marked effective rate and mycological clearance rate of fractional carbon dioxide laser combined with topical antifungal agents were higher than those of topical antifungal agents alone.Conclusion: The efficacy of fractional carbon dioxide laser combined with topical antifungal agents in the treatment of onychomycosis is better than that of topical antifungal agents,and it is an effective method for the treatment of onychomycosis.