Pulsed dye laser treatment of spider telangiectasia

Abstract

Spider telangiectasia is a common benign vascular malformation which can be a source of cosmetic concern for the patient. A retrospective review of 30 adults and children with spider telangiectasia treated by the flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser was undertaken. There was complete clearance of treated spider telangiectasia in 93% of patients after a single treatment. There were no reported permanent adverse effects with purpura being the only transient problem. Most patients were satisfied with the eventual results of treatment and would recommend treatment to other people with a similar problem. This laser should be considered as the treatment of choice for spider telangiectasia.

Pulse Dye Laser Therapy for Spider Naevi

“…Side effects were usually mild and temporary and this reflected the selectivity of PDL in targeting vascular structures and preventing damage to surrounding structures. 2 …”

“…1 These lesions are common and occur in 15 percent of children and adults. 2 Although they are harmless, they may cause significant cosmetic problems. They commonly appear on exposed areas such as the face, upper trunk and upper limbs [2][3][4][5] and less commonly on the lower limbs and lower trunk.…”

“…2 Although they are harmless, they may cause significant cosmetic problems. They commonly appear on exposed areas such as the face, upper trunk and upper limbs [2][3][4][5] and less commonly on the lower limbs and lower trunk. 4 Various treatment modalities such as electrocautery, sclerotherapy and laser therapy have been used for spider naevi.…”

“…Older lasers, including the argon laser, have been associated with an unacceptably high incidence of scarring and pigmentary changes. 2 Previous reports 2,5 show effectiveness of PDL on spider naevi however, follow up has been limi-ted. The aim of this study was to determine the treatment outcome of spider naevi using pulse PDL.…”

Laser surgery: an approach to the pediatric patient

“…49 In the current literature, it has been shown that spider telangiectases may resolve completely with a single pulseddye laser treatment (Fig 4). 74 In addition to the pulseddye lasers, green light lasers produced by the argonpumped tunable dye (514 nm), copper vapor-copper bromide (511 nm), krypton (521 or 530 nm), and frequency-doubled Nd:YAG (532 nm) have been successful in treating spider telangiectases and the larger facial venules such as those on the nasal alae. 10 Other types of childhood telangiectases responsive to vascular laser treatment include unilateral nevoid telangiectasis, telangiectatic capillary malformations, benign hereditary telangiectasis, and hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasis.…”