Vol. 5, Issue 1, Part A (2023)

Introduction: Port wine stain (PWS) is one of the commonly encountered congenital cutaneous vascular lesions, with an equal sex distribution. Pulsed-dye lasers (PDL) have revolutionized the treatment of both congenital and acquired cutaneous vascular lesions. The pulsed dye laser owing to its superior efficacy and safety profile have become the appropriate choice for the management of port-wine stains. 
Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and side effects of pulse dye laser in the treatment of port wine stain. 
Patients and Methods: This is a prospective interventional therapeutic study, which was conducted at the Center of Dermatology and Venereology, Medical City in Baghdad/Iraq, from February 2020 to January 2022. Patients with port wine stain who attended the dermatology outpatient clinic were included in this study, their demography had been assessed, facial port wine area and severity index (FSASI) was done for their PWS and photos for documenting the results were taken. Pulse dye laser session was done for 30 patients for 3 to 10 sessions on monthly basis. Therapeutic outcomes were assessed by standardized digital photography. 
Results: A total of 26 patients completed the study, 17 (65, 4%) females and 9 (34, 6%) males. Age ranged from 3 to 62 years. Eight patients reported excellent improvement (76-99%), thirteen patients’ significant improvement (51-75%), five patients with moderate improvement (26-50%) in the appearance of the PWSs. 
Conclusions: Pulse dye laser is a good modality of treatment for PWS being a safe and effective option in Iraqi patients.