Port wine stain are vascular malformations present at birth, the incidence being around 0.3% of neonates. The term port wine is drived from the city of Oporto, the centre of portugal’s red port wine trade.
Recently, Dermatologist done vascular studies by skin laser doppler flowmetry have revealed a decreased blood flow response to vasodilation, suggesting a possible decrease in the autonomic innervation of the cutaneous vasculature in port wine stains.
Clinical features
The lesions occur in a sharply unilateral distribution and are flat at birth. They vary in size from a few millimeters to several centimeters. According to Dermatologist in Delhi the commonest site is the face, but they may be seen anywhere including the mucosae. Port wine stains on the face tend to darken with age and may develop small nodules (‘cobble-stone’) appearance, conversely, trunk and limb lesions lighten with age.
Facial lesions prove to be a serious cosmetic problem as they are difficult to treat. A number of vascular abnormalities including hemangiomas, arterio-venous fistulae and nevus anemicus may be associated. Pyogenic granuloma, acquired tufted angioma and basal cell carcinoma have been reported to develop in these lesions. Soft tissue swelling and/or bony over-growth may develop under a port wine stain especially on the face.
Dermatologist in Delhi says Ocular complications include glaucoma and choroidal angiomas. Glaucoma may be seen with or without the Sturge-Weber syndrome. It is usually unilateral and develops in two-thirds of cases in infancy but may occur later. This complication is unlikely if the upper lid is spared by the stain. Initially asymptomatic, it will lead to progressive eye damage. Choroidal angiomas are seen as redness of the fundus (tomato ketchup fundus) on examination. They may cause hyperopia by pushing the retina forward.
As a treatment, Laser treatment centre in Delhi suggest multiple sessions of PD laser.