Criteria of Mahoney and Shapshay for Response to Laser Therapy by a Patient with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT)

 

Therapeutic modality: Nd:YAG laser

 

Criteria for good response:

(1) > 50% reduction in severity

(2) > 50% reduction in frequency

(3) for >= 6 months

 

If the effects lasted for < 6 months then the response was considered poor. Presumably no change or worsening of severity and frequency would also be considered poor response.

 

There are several ways to measure outcomes:

(1) VAS scales from 0 to 10 cm before and after

(2) number of nosebleeds per week before and after

(3) reduction in severity grade