Treatment of infantile port-wine stains with pulsed dye laser: split lesion randomized comparative study between three sessions and seven sessions

Abstract

Objective To compare the safety and efficacy of pulsed dye laser (PDL) with different sessios for the East Asian infants with port-wine stains(PWS). Methods From September 2016 to September 2017, 24 East Asian infants with untreated PWS, who met the standards of enrollment, received seven treatments by PDL at 2-week intervals and three treatments at 6-week intervals at adjacent locations in each patient 2 months after final treatment. The efficacy outcome was compared with Wilcoxon signed-rank test, while the safety was compared using Fisher′s exact test. Results Of the 24 patients, 20 completed study. Seven patients had multiple sites, given a total of 62 treated PWS sites. Among the patients, 18 had lesions on the face and 2 on the extremities. The average blanching rate was (43.71 ± 27.16) % and (43.29 ± 31.58) % for PDL treatments with 7- and 3- sessions, respectively (P>0.05). The result was consistent with independent observer assessment judging that the result of 7 laser treatments was equally with that of 3 treatments (r=0.416, P=0.0008). The average grade was 3.58 ± 1.21 and 3.53 ± 1.16 for 7- and 3-sessions. The patients treated with 7-sessions developed a little more side effects than 3-sessions, including residue purpura, pigmentation changes, eczema and dermatitis. Conclusions After three treatments of PDL, the efficacy may not necessarily increased by more frequent treatments for East Asian infantile PWS. Key words: Port-wine stains; Infant; Laser therapy; Treatment sessions