Treatment of cutaneous and deep vascular lesions with the Nd:YAG laser

This study intends to document and evaluate the first compiled experience in the treatment of both cutaneous and deep vascular lesions using the Nd:YAG laser. Thirty-eight patients were treated over a 5-year period from 1979 to 1984 using the Nd:YAG laser with FDA approval. Lesions included capillary, cavernous, combined capillary-cavernous hemangiomas, portwine stains, arteriovenous malformations, lymphangiomas, multiple telangiectasias, and one case of Klippel-Trenaunay-Webber syndrome. The number of treatments per patient ranged from one to four. Partial or complete resolution of these various lesions, as evidenced by a decrease in size, and/or normalization of pathologic cutaneous changes was noted in a majority of patients. While both the argon and CO2 lasers have been well studied in the treatment of cutaneous vascular lesions, this is the first compiled series reporting results using the Nd:YAG for such problems. The Nd:YAG laser represents an alternative modality in the treatment of cutaneous hemangiomas and introduces an efficacious method in the treatment of cavernous vascular lesions.