Balancing safety and efficacy in photodynamic therapy for facial port-wine stains in children aged 2-7 years: a prospective controlled study of light-intensity optimization.
Jiawen Qin, Xiaoxi Lin, Yue Han et al.
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In 30 seconds
This open-label, prospective controlled study compared two light intensities for hemoporfin-mediated photodynamic therapy in children aged 2–7 years with facial port-wine stains. Forty children were enrolled sequentially to receive 60 or 75 mW/cm², with hemoporfin at 5 mg/kg. Both regimens were well tolerated and had similar overall effective rates at 8 and 24 weeks. The 75 mW/cm² regimen was associated with a higher complete-clearance rate at 24 weeks, but also more post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation; no serious adverse events were observed.
Key findings
- Overall effective rates were similar between the 60 and 75 mW/cm² regimens at 8 and 24 weeks.
- The 75 mW/cm² regimen was associated with a higher complete-clearance rate at 24 weeks.
- Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation occurred significantly more often with 75 mW/cm²; no serious adverse events were observed.
Why it matters
The findings highlight a potential trade-off between complete clearance and pigmentary adverse effects when selecting light intensity for photodynamic therapy in young children with facial port-wine stains. They provide comparative evidence for discussing treatment priorities, while the non-randomized design means the observed differences should be interpreted cautiously.
What to keep in mind
The comparison was exploratory and non-randomized, with sequential enrolment; the abstract does not report group-specific event rates or effect estimates.