Treatment of vascular lesions in the head and neck using Nd : YAG laser

Introduction: Vascular lesions in the head and neck region, including both haemangiomas and vascular malformations, are common and many different treatment modalities have been used for their removal. In the past decade, the Nd:YAG laser has emerged as a new mode of treatment for vascular lesions, and the purpose of this paper was to determine its clinical value. Patients and methods: A prospective study was conducted in III patients with vascular lesions in the head and neck region. They were treated with the Nd:YAG laser by photocoagulation. Of these, 96 had small lesions, with surface diameters of less than 3 x 3 cm(2), and 5 had large lesions, with surface diameters of more than 3 x 3 cm(2). The patients were all followed-up carefully until complete heating was recorded, along with any complications. Results: In both groups of patients, tissue sloughing occurred within 2-3 days. Healing time in small lesions was 2-3 weeks, and in large lesions 3-4 weeks. Three patients with small lesions and one patient with a large lesion experienced minor complications. Conclusion: The Nd:YAG laser is a safe and effective tool for treating vascular lesions. (c) 2005 European Association for Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery.