1998 Volume 40 Issue 5 Pages 492-500
The author devised the 40% silver nitrate paste method, an improvement previously reported 40% silver nitrate method (solution method), and achived favorable results in the treatment of MC. This paper is the second report on this new method, and focuses on the practical aspects of using it.
In this procedure, wheat flour is added to 40% silver nitrate solution to a concentration of 25% and stirred to obtain a paste. The tip of bamboo stick is then used to apply the paste to the top of the MC papule, and it is allowed to dry completely. Since the agent is a paste rather than a solution, it easily adheres to the papule. The mass of MC virus quickly changes into a black crust and falls off in 2-4 weeks (Table 1).
During the 3-year period between 1995 and 1997, 380 (97.7%) of the 389 patiants who underwent this treatment were cured of MC (Table 2). Complaints of itching or pain were minor, and were made by 65 (16.7%) of the 389 patients, but only 5 of them discontinued treatment because of itching or pain (Table 3).
