Background: Noncultured Epidermal Cell Suspension (NCECS) is a surgical modality used in treating stable vitiligo. Trypsinization of the epidermis may be done either at 4°C overnight (cold) or at 37°C for 30 to 50 minutes (warm). Recently, trypsinization was done at room temperature (25°C) in an in vitro trial.
Objective: To compare different trypsinization techniques in NCECS regarding cell viability and clinical outcome.
Methods: This comparative multicenter study was conducted on 20 patients with stable nonsegmental vitiligo. In each patient, 3, nonacral vitiligo lesions were randomly assigned for treatment by NCECS prepared by warm, room temperature, and cold trypsinization techniques, respectively. A perilesional biopsy was taken from each of the 3 treated lesions as an objective measure of disease stability. After transplantation, all patients received narrow-band ultraviolet B twice weekly for 6 months. Cell viability was assessed in each technique, as well as clinical outcome in all treated lesions.
Results: Warm and room temperature trypsinization techniques were comparable with each other. Both were significantly better than the cold technique regarding viability and repigmentation.
Conclusion: Room temperature trypsinization can be used as a convenient substitute to warm trypsinization. Cold trypsinization is not recommended because of its poor results and poor patient satisfaction.