Autologous epidermal cultures and narrow-band ultraviolet B in the surgical treatment of vitiligo.

Background: Vitiligo is an acquired skin disorder with a great social impact. It can be successfully treated with autologous epidermal grafting.

Objective: To evaluate the possibility of treating vitiligo by autologous grafting of epidermal cells and narrow-band ultraviolet B (UVB).

Methods: Autologous epidermal cultures were prepared starting from small biopsies of normally pigmented skin. Cells were cultured on hyaluronic acid membranes using medium supplemented with patient's serum. Cell cultures were grafted onto laser-abraded depigmented areas. Patients underwent narrow-band UVB therapy 3 weeks after grafting.

Results: Repigmentation of the grafted areas started 1 month after transplant and continued until 4 months after grafting. All patients were evaluated 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after grafting. At the 18-month follow-up, repigmentation was observed in 75% of patients with focal and segmental vitiligo and in 30% of patients with generalized vitiligo.

Conclusions: This therapy can be considered for the treatment of stable vitiligo (especially focal and segmental) resistant to standard therapies. Their results are encouraging from the clinical and esthetic point of view, although the treatment is costly and highly specialized.