Capillary Malformations (Portwine Stains) of the Head and Neck: Natural History, Investigations, Laser, and Surgical Management

Capillary malformations (CMs), also known as port-wine stains, are the most common type of congenital vascular malformations. Facial CM often occurs with a quasidermatomal distribution according to the sensory trigeminal nerve distribution. With time, these lesions darken progressively, and soft tissue hypertrophy, bony hypertrophy, and/or nodule formation can develop. Multiple treatments for CM have been reported. However, the mainstay and gold standard therapy for facial or aesthetically sensitive CM is still the pulsed dye laser treatment. In patients with associated soft tissue/bony hypertrophy, surgical management is helpful in restoring the normal anatomy and in re-establishing a symmetric contour.