Safety and efficacy of dual-wavelength laser (1064 + 595 nm) for treatment of non-treated port-wine stains.

BACKGROUND

Patients with port-wine stain (PWS) suffer physically and psychologically because of the high incidence (0.3%-0.5%) of the disease. Pulsed-dye laser (PDL) at 595 nm is the gold standard of the treatment for PWS. Nevertheless, clinicians intend to determine whether the dual-wavelength laser (DWL; 595-nm PDL + 1064-nm Nd:YAG) is an adequate choice in the treatment of non-treated PWS. This study is the first prospective within-patient controlled research seeking to investigate the safety and efficacy of DWL for the treatment of non-treated PWS.

METHODS

A total of 61 patients with non-treated flat facial PWS, who were treated using the Cynergy laser system in our clinic, were included in this study. Each PWS lesion was divided into two adjacent test treatment sites of similar size and colour. The two sites were randomly assigned to PDL or DWL treatment in a blinded manner of participants. In each case, two sets of treatment parameters were used: (i) 595-nm PDL and (ii) 595-nm PDL + 1064-nm Nd:YAG. Both had a 10 mm spot size, an epidermal cooling system and 1-s interpulse interval between two pulses. Clinical efficacy and safety outcomes were evaluated by visual assessment 2 months after treatment.

RESULTS

Comparison by visual evaluation suggests that the responses of non-treated PWS to treatment by PDL and DWL were not significantly different. Moreover, three patients developed scarring after DWL treatment.

CONCLUSION

Compared with PDL, DWL exhibits a higher risk of potential scarring and has no advantage in efficacy of treating non-treated PWS.