title: Results and tissue healing after copper-vapour laser (at 578 nm) treatment of port wine stains and facial telangiectasias.
abstract: Twenty-four patients with port wine stains (PWS), and 33 patients with facial telangiectasias were treated with a copper-vapour laser (CVL) operating at 578 nm. Good to excellent results were obtained in 52% of PWS and 69% of facial telangiectasias. Enzyme histochemistry revealed vessel-selective damage with energy densities up to 12 J/cm2, but a non-specific coagulation necrosis with higher fluences (> or = 15 J/cm2). With vessel-selective fluences only moderate blanching was obtained in two PWS. All other evaluated patients were treated using non-selective energy densities. Tissue healing was comparable with that after argon laser treatment. The theoretically correct wavelength (578 nm) alone appeared to be no guarantee of vessel-selective damage. The laser employed lacked adequate power (only 1.3 W maximum) to transmit sufficient energy into the tissues in a short exposure time. However, the clinical results confirm the value of the CVL in the treatment of superficial cutaneous angiodysplasias.
authors: Department of Dermatology, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors: R A
authors: RA
authors: Neumann
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Leonhartsberger
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Böhler-Sommeregger
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Knobler
authors: E M
authors: EM
authors: Kokoschka
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Hönigsmann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013684:Telangiectasis / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing