Objective: To try to find the best method of laser therapy for the management of venous malformation and hemangioma in oral and maxillofacial regions.
Methods: From June, 1999 to July, 2002, 2 481 cases of venous malformations and hemangiomas were treated by several kinds lasers in our department. The lesions included port-wine stains, venous malformations, telangiectasia and hemangioma. The lasers used were continuous wave CO(2), Nd:YAG and Krypton lasers, pulsed dye laser and ultra-pulsed CO(2) lasers. The treatment modalities were direct irradiation, irradiation after surgical flap raising and photodynamic therapy.
Results: Follow up between 2 - 5 years revealed the treatment results as follows: excellent is 79.24%, good is 14.31% and poor is 6.45%.
Conclusions: Laser therapy is one of the best method to treat venous malformations and hemangiomas. The key point is to apply different lasers properly.