Ultrasound-Guided Interstitial Nd: YAG Laser Treatment of Voluminous Hemangiomas and Vascular Malformations in 92 Patients

• Published in: The Laryngoscope Vol. 108; no. 4; pp. 463 - 470
• Main Authors: Werner, Jochen A., Lippert, Burkard M., Gottschlich, Stefan, Folz, Benedikt J., Fleiner, Bernd, Hoeft, Steffen, Rudert, Heinrich
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, NJ John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-04-1998; Wiley-Blackwell
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aluminum Silicates; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Vessels - abnormalities; Blood Vessels - pathology; Child; Child, Preschool; Esthetics; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Head - blood supply; Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology; Head and Neck Neoplasms - surgery; Head and neck surgery. Maxillofacial surgery. Dental surgery. Orthodontics; Hemangioma - pathology; Hemangioma - surgery; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Laser Coagulation - instrumentation; Laser Coagulation - methods; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neck - blood supply; Neodymium; Patient Satisfaction; Remission Induction; Retrospective Studies; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the upper aerodigestive tract; Treatment Outcome; Ultrasonography, Interventional; Vascular Surgical Procedures; Yttrium; Sonography; Human; YAG laser; Cardiovascular disease; Congenital disease; Retrospective; Result; Vascular disease; Guidance; Angioma; Treatment; Malformation; Surgery; Blood vessel; Echography; Head and neck; ENT disease; Technique
• ISSN: 0023-852X; 1531-4995
• DOI: 10.1097/00005537-199804000-00001

In many cases voluminous vascular anomalies of the head and neck region are still treated with conventional surgery, although neodymium:yttrium‐aluminum‐garnet (Nd:YAG) laser therapy offers a valuable treatment alternative. Ninety‐two patients with voluminous hemangiomas and vascular malformations were treated with interstitial Nd:YAG laser therapy (power density, 1300 to 3300 W/cm2), partly complemented by a noncontact‐mode Nd:YAG laser light application (energy density, 1000 to 2500 J/cm2). The vascular tumors had a diameter of more than 3 cm in at least two dimensions. Treatment was carried out under ultrasound and manual control. Nearly 60% of the patients (n = 55) showed a complete clinical regression. Thirty‐three patients (35.8%) had a partial regression and were satisfied with the treatment outcome. Four patients were treated unsuccessfully with the laser, and three of them subsequently underwent conventional surgery. Only nine of the 92 patients (9.8%) showed cosmetic or functional impairments. The results of this first consecutive series study with a retrospective clinical evaluation of the interstitial Nd:YAG laser therapy of voluminous hemangiomas and vascular malformations in a large patient group demonstrate a high effectiveness of this novel therapy modality.