title: Diode laser for the treatment of telangiectasias following hemangioma involution.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Infantile hemangiomas are well known for their rapid growth during the first 6 to 9 months of life, followed by a spontaneous but slow involution. The standard of care is to treat these lesions at an early age with propranolol to expedite the involution process; however, surgery still remains an active component in the management. Medical treatment with propranolol or natural involution will often result in residual telangiectasias. We evaluated the efficacy of using a diode laser as a treatment for telangiectasias following cervicofacial infantile hemangioma involution.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case series with chart review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary care hospital and practice specializing in the care of vascular anomalies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients, aged 4 months to 11 years (average 2.69 years), underwent treatment with a 532-nm diode laser to treat the residual telangiectasias following hemangioma involution. All procedures were performed in the operating room. To assess the efficacy, we independently evaluated pre- and posttreatment digital photographs and ranked them on a 0- to 4-point scale (0 = no change and 4 = complete response). Adverse reactions were also recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The telangiectasias showed considerable improvement following treatment. In more than half of the patients treated, the affected area demonstrated a complete response. No adverse reactions were noted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A 532-nm diode laser effectively treats the remaining telangiectasias following hemangioma involution. Whether used independently or in conjunction with other treatment modalities, the diode laser should be part of the surgical armamentarium when treating infantile hemangiomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, New York University, New York, New York, USA Eric.Cerrati@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Eric W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Cerrati
authors.affiliation: Vascular Birthmark Institute of New York, Lenox Hill and Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospitals, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Teresa M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: O
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Hoyun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Vascular Birthmark Institute of New York, Lenox Hill and Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospitals, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Milton
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Waner
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D054023:Lasers, Semiconductor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D011433:Propranolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013684:Telangiectasis / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D011433:Propranolol
keywords: diode laser; hemangioma; telangiectasia