Evaluation of the efficiency of percutaneous sclerotherapy in low-flow vascular malformations with head and neck location

Objectives: VA is a group of diseases with difficulties in diagnosis and treatment, which can vary from millimetric lesions involving only the skin to widespread lesions that can hold multiple organs and tissue planes. Especially in the head and neck vascular malformations, surgery has become less preferred because of possible risk of nerve damages,. Percutaneous embolization and sclerotherapy is now the first choice of treatment for symptomatic vascular malformations. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of ethanol sclerotherapy in patients with VM with head and neck localization. Materials and Methods:Between September 2002 and June 2017 twenty-five cases (17 female, 8 male, age range: 17 to 18 years) with a head and neck venous or lymphatic malformation underwent percutaneous sclerotherapy with ethanol in the Interventional Radiology Unit of Dokuz Eylül University Medical Faculty Department of Radiology(2-64 years;(average 24.4 years). A total of 114 sessions (1-16, mean: 4.5) of percutaneous sclerotherapy were performed. Visual assessment was made by comparing the photographs of vascular lesions before and after the sclerotherapy sessions. Results: In visual evaluation, 14 (56%) of the 25 patients were found to have a very good response to treatment, 9 (36%) had moderate response, and 2 (8%) did not respond at all. Local complications occured in 5 of the patients with conservative treatments. None of the cases developed any major complications. Conclusion: In conclusion, percutaneous ethanol sclerotherapy is a reliable and effective method in the treatment of venous malformation lesions when done properly. Keywords: Sclerotherapy, ethanol, head and neck, venous malformation, complications.