EFFECT OF PERCUTANEOUS LOCAL-ANESTHETICS ON PAIN REDUCTION DURING PULSE DYE-LASER TREATMENT OF PORTWINE STAINS

We have used EMLA, 4% amethocaine gel and placebo for facial portwine stains, for a period of 1 h, in a double-blind study. After removal of the preparations from the skin surface, each area was treated with si x pulses of the laser, each 5 mm in diameter. Any pain noted immediate ly after treatment was recorded using both visual analogue (VAS) and v erbal rating (VRS) scores. Twenty nine patients completed the study an d statistical analysis of the results indicated that both EMLA and 4% amethocaine gel were superior to placebo (P<0.001). However, when EMLA and 4% amethocaine gel were compared, the amethocaine preparation was significantly better (P<0.05, VAS; P<0.005 VRS) than EMLA in reducing pain caused by the laser treatment.