Pulsed dye laser effective on port-wine stains in infants
(HealthDay) -- Pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatment at two-, three-, and four-week intervals is effective for infants with facial port-wine stains (PWS), with minimal short-term side effects, according to a study published online Feb. 20 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Robert Anolik, M.D., of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York in New York City, and colleagues retrospectively reviewed the charts of 24 infants with facial PWS who received at least five treatments with the PDL at two-, three-, and four-week intervals at a private laser and skin surgery center.
The researchers found that side effects were similar in all interval groups and included short-term erythema, edema, purpura, and mild post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. No cases of hypopigmentation, scarring, or infection were reported. All interval groups showed 50 to 100 percent clearance of their PWS after five treatments. Six of eight (75 percent) and seven of eight (88 percent) patients in the two- and three-week interval groups, respectively, experienced complete or near-complete clearance, compared with three of eight (38 percent) patients in the four-week interval group.
"We conclude that PDL treatments at two-, three-, and four-week intervals are effective for the management of facial PWS in infants, with minimal short-term side effects," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed financial ties to medical device companies.
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