Laser surgery: new applications for pediatric skin and airway lesions

Recent research pertaining to laser applications for the treatment of capillary malformations (port wine stains) and cutaneous and subglottic hemangiomas is reviewed within the context of advances in laser technology and current therapeutic practices and controversies. Although laser advances have resulted in the concomitant growth of new clinical applications, research over the past year has focused on refining and improving existing applications, with the ultimate goal of being able to individualize treatment. Research initiatives aimed at improving the outcomes of pulse dye laser treatment for capillary malformations have illustrated the complexity of the interaction between laser characteristics, methods of laser application, variations in human skin and tissue, and morphologic parameters of involved blood vessels. Investigations of cutaneous hemangioma have addressed the issue of early pulse dye laser intervention, and results of a significant prospective study clearly demonstrate that this offers no benefit. Studies of subglottic hemangioma have compared the outcomes of treatment with carbon dioxide (CO(2)) and the potassium-titanyl-phosphate lasers, concluding that the latter results in superior outcomes, with less risk of posttreatment subglottic stenosis.