Objective: To assess the effectiveness of the flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser in the treatment of port-wine stains. Design: A retrospective review of medical records and patients. Setting: Royal Perth Hospital (a tertiary referral hospital), August 1989 to December 1992. Subjects: 186 consecutive patients with port-wine stains treated with a flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser. Outcome measures: Degree of lesion fading; adverse reactions. Results: Of 131 patients who completed treatment, 78% had better than 50% fading of the lesion and only 9% had less than 25% fading. An average 3.4 treatments were needed to achieve more than 50% fading. The response was better in children than in adults, although the difference was not significant. Anaesthesia was needed for 44% of patients. Pigmentary change (usually transient) occurred in 6.1% of patients and permanent and significant adverse effects in only 4.6%. Conclusion: This study confirms the efficacy of the flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser in the treatment of port-wine stains in children and adults. Early treatment of port-wine stains should be encouraged to reduce the physical and psychological morbidity of disfiguring lesions. MJA 1996; 164: 333-336
