Laser therapy in the treatment of congenital vascular abnormalities.

Portwine stains, especially on the face, have serious psychological and emotional impact for affected children. Laser therapy has been the only effective means for treating these lesions. The argon laser has been the mainstay, but more recently the flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser has added significantly to the management of portwine stains as well as to the effective treatment of other vascular lesions such as telangiectasias and angiomas.