A Comparative Evaluation of Surgical, Electrosurgery and Diode Laser in the Management of Maxillofacial Nevus.

Purpose: To compare the post-operative wound healing of patients treated for excision of the nevus/mole from maxillofacial region with surgical, electrosurgery and diode laser.

Materials and Methods: Forty-five clinically confirmed cases of benign nevus were included in the study and randomly divided into three groups according to the technique used for excision, i.e. Group A-surgical excision, Group B-diode laser and Group C-electrosurgery. Post-operative wound evaluation was done using Stony Brook scar evaluation scale on post-operative photographs taken on days 7, 21 and 90 (3 months).

Results: Statistically, there was no significant difference between the three techniques on post-operative day 90. Clinically, hypopigmentation was noted with diode laser and electrosurgical excision of benign nevus.

Conclusion: Since all three techniques yielded statistically comparable results, the patients can be given a choice of technique to undergo surgery. Surgical excision being the most cost effective and nil post-operative hypopigmentation may be the treatment of choice for majority of the patients.