Argon laser treatment of an eyelid margin capillary hemangioma

When capillary hemangiomas do not resolve spontaneously, treatment may be indicated. Various forms of therapy have been employed. These include excisional surgery, cryotherapy, sclerosing solutions, embolization, external beam irradiation, steroids, and the argon laser. We report the use of a standard ophthalmic argon laser combined with curettage on a noninvoluting eyelid margin hemangioma found on a 29-year-old man. Details of the surgical technique are provided and postoperative results documented. We believe this to be the first case of a lid margin hemangioma successfully treated in this manner. The technique offers these advantages: (1) Selective absorption of the laser energy by the blood-filled tissue allows microablation of the lesion under ideal hemostatic conditions with minimal loss of normal lid tissue. (2) Oculoplastic lid repair is obviated since minimal normal tissue is removed. (3) The procedure can be performed under local anesthesia on an outpatient basis.