Laser Therapy for Pediatric Burn Scars

The Hospital for Sick Children20 enrolled

Overview

A new era of outcomes for pediatric burn patients has begun as burn care continues to improve. Unfortunately, complete restoration of burn-injured skin may be limited by the development of hypertrophic scarring. Treatment with laser therapy is one of the newest forms of scar therapy available. Although laser therapy has only been adopted by burn clinicians within the last several years, early evidence suggests that it may offer significant benefits. Thus the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of using laser therapy to treat hypertrophic burn scars in pediatric patients by using a comprehensive set of subjective and objective scar assessment tools.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Cicatrix, Hypertrophic Burns

Interventions

Laser TherapyDEVICE

Laser therapy is a technology that can be used to treat hypertrophic burn scars.

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 1-18 years at presentation 2. Patients with a hypertrophic burn scar that has been clinically diagnosed by a burn care specialist 3. Hypertrophic burn scar resulting from any etiology 4. Hypertrophic burn scar is ≥ 2 months post healing 5. Ability to complete English- language questionnaires Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with concomitant skin disease (i.e. chronic skin conditions, herpes infection) 2. Patients with a history of keloid scarring 3. Patients who cannot tolerate the intravenous (IV) sedation used to perform laser therapy procedures 4. Patients who have had previous laser therapy procedures

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Vancouver Scar Scale Score

The Vancouver Scar Scale is composed of four subscales which include pigmentation (range: 0 - 3), vascularity (range: 0 - 3), pliability (range: 0 - 5), and height (range: 0 - 3). Total Vancouver Scar Scale score refers to the score obtained by summing the values from each subscale (range: 0 - 14) with higher scores indicating a worse scar.

Time frame: Baseline (month 0) to month 12

Secondary Outcomes

Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale Score

The Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale consists of two independent scales: 1) the patient scale (patient-reported), and 2) the observer scale (clinician-reported). Both the patient scale as well as the observer scale include a set of individual subscales that assess scar severity (range: 1 - 10) with higher scores indicating a worse scar.

Time frame: Baseline (month 0) to month 12

Scar thickness

Scar thickness measurements will be taken at five study visits over the course of one year and will be measured using ultrasonography.

Time frame: Baseline(month 0) to month 12

Scar stiffness measured by the DermaLab Combo® skin analysis device

Scar stiffness measurements will be taken at five study visits over the course of one year and will be measured using the DermaLab Combo® skin analysis device (Cortex Technologies, Hadsund, DK).

Time frame: Baseline(month 0) to month 12

Scar stiffness measured by ultrasound elastographgy

Scar stiffness measurements will be taken at five study visits over the course of one year and will be measured using ultrasound elastography.

Time frame: Baseline(month 0) to month 12

Scar colour

Scar colour measurements will be taken at five study visits over the course of one year and will be measured using the DermaLab Combo® skin analysis device (Cortex Technologies, Hadsund, DK)

Time frame: Baseline(month 0) to month 12

Laser Therapy for Pediatric Burn Scars

Overview

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes