Split lesion randomized comparative study between long pulsed Nd:YAG laser 532 and 1,064 nm in treatment of facial port-wine stain.

BACKGROUND: Lasers have been the treatment of choice for Port-wine stain (PWS). However, only one type of laser is not a panacea for all PWS malformations. This is may be due to the great heterogeneity of phenotypic presentation of this congenital anomaly as color, depth, and the site of the lesion. For the treatment of PWS, flash lamp-pumped pulsed dye laser, carbon dioxide, argon, krypton, copper bromide, frequency-doubled neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG), and also intense pulsed light sources can be used.

OBJECTIVES: To assess and compare the effectiveness of wavelength 532 and 1,064 nanometers (nm) long pulse Nd:YAG laser in the treatment of facial port-wine stain.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a comparative therapeutic study for the treatment of facial port-wine stain. We divided the lesion into two halves, medial and lateral, and then each half was treated by 532 or 1,064 nm Nd:YAG. The sessions were done every 4 weeks for six sessions and follow-up after 3 months, then assess the response before and after the sessions and at the end follow-up period objectively (degree of improvement, Photo comparison) and subjectively (Patient satisfaction).

RESULTS: Fourteen out of nineteen patients completed all sessions of the treatment, and the other five patients were defaulted from the study due to different causes, including marriage, poor compliance for treatment, and for unknown causes. They were 13 (92.85%) females and 1 (7.15%) male. The mean age of patients was 22.07 ± 9.003 years (range 8-44 years). Three patients (21.4%) were Fitzpatrick's skin type III and four patients (78.6%) were typed IV. There was no hypertrophy in any of the lesions. All facial PWSs lie along the distribution of the trigeminal nerve. Four patients (28.6%) have V1 (ophthalmic), 12 patients (85.7%) have V2 (maxillary), and 9 (64.3%) have V3 (mandibular). The color of PWSs was pink-red in eight patients (57.1%), dark-red in four patients (28.6%), and purple-dark two patients (14.3%). The improvement score for the halves of the PWS treated with long pulsed Nd:YAG 532 nm were: failure = 0%, mild = 14.3%, moderate = 28.6%, good = 28.6%, excellent = 28.6%, while the score for long pulsed Nd:YAG 1,064 nm were: failure = 7.1%, mild = 85.7%, moderate = 7.1%, good = 0%, excellent = 0%. There are highly significant differences between the two parameters (P-value = <0.001). The visual analog scale regarding the halves of PWS treated by long pulsed Nd:YAG 532 nm before the treatment was 5.00 ± 0.96 and after treatment was 2.28 ± 1.43. There is a highly significant difference between the two scores (P-value <0.001). The visual analog scale for the halves of PWS before the use of long pulsed Nd:YAG 1,064 nm was 5.14 ± 0.77 and after treatment was 3.71 ± 0.82. There is a highly significant difference between the two scores (P-value <0.001). At the end of follow-up period, mean score ± SD for 532 nm was 2.28 ± 1.43 and for 1,064 nm was 3.71 ± 0.82. There is a highly significant difference in both wavelengths, when compared with scores for each before the treatment. In comparison, between 532 and 1,064 nm, the difference in the visual analog scale for 532 nm before and at the end of the follow-up period was 2.7143 ± 1.069, while for 1,064 nm was 1.4286 ± 0.513. There is a highly significant difference between the two wavelengths (P-value <0.001). The mean score for the satisfaction of long pulsed Nd:YAG 532 nm was 76 ± 23, while for 1,064 nm was 33 ± 8, so there is a highly significant difference between the two parameters (P-value = <0.001). None of the patients showed recurrence, scar, or hyperpigmentation after 3 months of the last treatment session. One patient developed hyperpigmentation that resolved with hydroquinone cream 4% and no scarring was seen at the end of follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS: The long pulsed Nd:YAG laser 532 nm is more effective in the treatment of superficial bright red facial PWSs than the long pulse Nd:YAG 1,064 nm. More treatment sessions may lead to better clearance of the lesions. The use of non-invasive imaging technique such as dermoscopy, skin analyzer likes spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) device, or confocal microscopy to assess the level of malformations and the changes before and after the treatment with each type can give a clearer view of tissue response to laser irradiation. Lasers Surg. Med. 48:852-858, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.