A combination of subcutaneous sclerotherapy and hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether photodynamic therapy: An exploration of treatment for subcutaneous high-flow port-wine stains

Subcutaneous high-flow port-wine stains pose a challenge in clinical treatment due to their rapid blood flow, which has resulted in poor therapeutic outcomes with hematoporphyrin-based photodynamic therapy in the past. Before and after treatment, patients underwent skin lesion evaluation using Doppler ultrasound, VISIA imaging, and photography. All results were evaluated by three blinded dermatologists for clinical response(excellent ≥75%, good 50-74%, fair 25-49%) poor 1-24%, and no improvement). After two sessions of sclerotherapy, Doppler ultrasound evaluation indicated that the subcutaneous blood flow signals in the lesions had largely disappeared. Following HMME-PDT, the patient achieved highly satisfactory results, with a 25% reduction in lesion size and more than a 50% improvement in color fading. The combination of sclerotherapy with HMME-PDT is a new option for high-flow signals PWSs.