LAUSR

Background: Vascular malformations manifest with pain, bleeding, disability, and disfigurement in a subset of children. There are scant data available on the utility and tolerability of laser surgery for symptomatic or disfiguring non–port‐wine stain vascular malformations in children. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the utility and tolerability of the 1064‐nm long‐pulsed neodymium:yttrium‐aluminum‐garnet (LP Nd:YAG) laser for treatment of symptomatic or disfiguring vascular malformations in children. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 29 pediatric patients with non–port‐wine stain vascular malformations who were treated with the LP Nd:YAG laser at our institution. We report patient characteristics, treatment parameters, outcomes, and complications. Results: Blinded assessment of clinical efficacy revealed good to excellent results in 66.7% of patients treated and poor to fair results in 25%. The overall rate of complications was 27%, with minor skin breakdown and blistering being the most common. Limitations: Our conclusions are limited by small sample size, pretreatment and posttreatment photographs in only a subset of patients, and lack of long‐term follow‐up. Conclusion: The LP Nd:YAG laser is a well‐tolerated and effective treatment modality for a variety of non–port‐wine stain vascular malformations in children.