Diode Laser for the Treatment of Telangiectasias following Hemangioma Involution

Publication Date

2015

Journal Title

Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Infantile hemangiomas are well known for their rapid growth during the first 6 to 9 months of life, followed by a spontaneous but slow involution. The standard of care is to treat these lesions at an early age with propranolol to expedite the involution process; however, surgery still remains an active component in the management. Medical treatment with propranolol or natural involution will often result in residual telangiectasias. We evaluated the efficacy of using a diode laser as a treatment for telangiectasias following cervicofacial infantile hemangioma involution. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Tertiary care hospital and practice specializing in the care of vascular anomalies. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty patients, aged 4 months to 11 years (average 2.69 years), underwent treatment with a 532-nm diode laser to treat the residual telangiectasias following hemangioma involution. All procedures were performed in the operating room. To assess the efficacy, we independently evaluated pre- and posttreatment digital photographs and ranked them on a 0- to 4-point scale (0 = no change and 4 = complete response). Adverse reactions were also recorded. RESULTS: The telangiectasias showed considerable improvement following treatment. In more than half of the patients treated, the affected area demonstrated a complete response. No adverse reactions were noted. CONCLUSION: A 532-nm diode laser effectively treats the remaining telangiectasias following hemangioma involution. Whether used independently or in conjunction with other treatment modalities, the diode laser should be part of the surgical armamentarium when treating infantile hemangiomas.

Volume Number

152

Issue Number

2

Pages

239-43

Document Type

Article

EPub Date

2014/12/03

Status

Northwell Researcher

Facility

Northwell Health

Primary Department

Otolaryngology

PMID

25450409

DOI

10.1177/0194599814559192

For the public and Northwell Health campuses

Share

COinS