Surgical excision followed by brachytherapy for the treatment of keloids in Martinique.

Keloids in black patients frequently recur after surgical excision alone, Surgical excision followed by iridium 192 brachytherapy was used to treat 783 keloids in 502 black patients in Martinique, The surgical and radiation therapy technique is described in detail. The recurrence rate was 21%, in keeping with earlier studies, Factors influencing the risk of recurrence were the size of the keloid before treatment and complications occurring during or immediately after surgical excision, The data reported here suggest that surgical excision followed by brachytherapy is currently the best available method for treating keloids.