Abstract

Port-wine stains (PWS) are frequently refractory to laser treatments. Although previous data highlight prognostic factors and biological events related to poor outcomes, no previous publications correlate their capillaroscopic and architectural features. The aim of the present study is to describe refractory port-wine stains performing capillaroscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) to describe their morphological and microscopic aspects. This is a prospective cohort study. All the consecutive patients with PWS poor responsive to previous treatment were included. Clinical assessment, capillaroscopy, and reflectance confocal microscopy were performed. A total of 65 patients were included, 12 with a capillaroscopic Type II pattern patients and 53 with Type III. At RCM examination, PWS with a capillaroscopic Type III pattern showed deeper-located blood vessels (p < 0.001) with a higher diameter (p < 0.042) compared with Type II. At the dynamic evaluation, 3 RCM patterns can be distinguished: Subset A, characterized by linear vessels with reduced diameter; Subset B, formed by enlarged vessels; and Subset C, characterized by deep and large aneurysmatic dilatation connected to small vessels. We defined 3 RCM patterns of refractory PWS.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.