The treatment of childhood hemangiomas with the flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser

We treated 166 infants and children with 177 hemangiomas with the flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser (FPDL, 585 nm, 450 mu s, 5 mm 0). The hemangiomas were classified as initial, superficial, cutaneous-nodular, and compound (cutaneous-subcutaneous) lesions according to the clinical involvement. After one treatment (n=124), good results (>75% clearance) were obtained in 56% of the initial and in 36% of the nodular lesions. With repeated treatment sessions (n=82), good results were achieved in 63% of the initial, in 67% of the superficial and in 70% of the nodular angiomas. Complete resolution requiring one or more treatment sessions was reached in 44% of the initial, in 42% of the superficial and in 16% of the nodular lesions. In compound lesions, only the cutaneous part responds to treatment owing to the limited penetration depth of the laser light. In our opinion, early FPDL therapy of most initial and/or rapidly growing hemangiomas should be recommended, especially since this therapy is fast, has few side effects and can even be used in newborns.