Multimodal Quantitative Analysis of Early Pulsed-dye Laser Treatment of Scars at a Pediatric Burn Hospital

Background: The pulsed-dye laser (PDL) is a potential adjunctive therapy for treatment of hyperemic and hypertrophic scars.

Objective: To compare the effects of early PDL treatment plus compression therapy (CT) with those of CT alone in patients undergoing burn scar reconstruction with split-thickness grafts on an extremity.

Methods: Laser treatments were applied to one half of the graft seam. Standard CT was applied to both halves. Laser treatment was repeated at 6-week intervals until one half reached sufficient clinical improvements. Each half was evaluated just before treatments using quantitative measures of color, scar height, biomechanical properties and clinical features using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS).

Results: Less quantitative scar erythema and height and greater tissue elasticity were observed after two or three treatments for PDL plus compression than with compression alone. VSS scores showed greater improvement for vascularity, pliability, pigmentation, and height for PDL plus compression than for compression alone.

Conclusion: PDL treatment in combination with CT appears to reduce scar hyperemia and height and normalize the biomechanical properties of burn-related scars.