Comparison between traditional surgery, CO₂ and Nd:Yag laser treatment for generalized gingival hyperplasia in Sturge–Weber syndrome: a retrospective study

AIM: Sturge-Weber syndrome is a rare congenital disorder that belongs to the group of neuroectodermal development anomalies called "phakomatoses". Hyperplastic lesions affect the gingiva, causing massive spontaneous bleeding. METHODS: We report a retrospective study of 11 patients affected by Sturge-Weber syndrome, with generalized gingival hyperplasia and angiomatous lesions of the oral cavity. Traditional scalpel surgery was performed in three patients; the remaining eight underwent laser gingivectomy. Specifically, four were treated with electrosurgery and a CO2 laser, and the remaining four patients were treated with a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser at 1.06, with a power of 4 or 6 W. In order to measure the patients' pain response, we used a visual analog scale. We clinically evaluated the tissue response and the possible presence of relapse in the surgically-treated areas. RESULTS: The three patients treated with traditional surgery had a relapse between 17 and 24 months after surgery. The four patients treated with the CO2 laser had a relapse between 36 and 42 months after surgery in 75% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: The most encouraging results were achieved using the neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser; patients treated with this procedure had a relapse 5 years and 4 months from surgery in only 25% of cases.