Seventy percent of infants treated with once-weekly pulsed dye laser therapy for port-wine birthmarks achieved near-total or total clearance within just 2 months, according to a recent study.
In the recent case series, published in JAMA Dermatology, researchers evaluated the efficacy of once-weekly pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatments for port-wine birthmarks (PWBs) in infants younger than 6 months. The study included 10 patients and aimed to assess treatment outcomes.
The study participants comprised of 6 males and 4 females, with a median age of 4 weeks at treatment initiation, ranging from less than 1 week to 20 weeks.
The median treatment duration to reach near-total or total clearance was 2 months, with a range of 0.2 to 5.1 months. The median number of treatments needed for clearance was 8, varying between 2 and 20 treatments.
After 2 months of therapy, 70% of the infants achieved either near-total (76% to 95%) or total (96% to 100%) clearance of their PWBs. The remaining 30% of infants demonstrated marked improvement (51% to 75%) and reached near-total clearance with additional treatment. The treatments were reported to be well tolerated, with no complications such as purpura observed in this patient cohort.
Twenty percent of the patients had PWBs that measured less than 20 cm², 20% of them had PWBs ranging from 20 cm² to 39 cm², and 60% of them had PWBs larger than 40 cm²—with 30% of these cases exhibiting involvement beyond the facial area.
Early intervention for PWBs is generally recommended, as untreated lesions may progress in some cases.
The findings indicated that shorter treatment intervals may improve clearance rates and reduce overall treatment duration, especially in younger patients whose skin characteristics facilitate effective targeting of vascular structures.
Full disclosures can be found in the original study.