Ethanol sclerotherapy with ‘injection and aspiration technique’ for giant lymphatic malformation in adult cases

Abstract

Ethanol is a commonly used sclerosant for lymphatic malformation (LM), and recent evidence has shown that macrocystic LMs respond very well to percutaneous sclerotherapy. However, the volume of absolute ethanol that can be injected safely is small (0.5-1 ml/kg), and that is the reason it is often ineffective in extensive LM. We report two cases of giant LM with occasional high fever and pain or abnormal gait. To overcome dose limitation and to prevent systematic toxicities, we performed both injection of absolute ethanol and aspiration of it after 5 min exposure to LM. The injected maximum ethanol dose per one session is 70-260 ml and no systemic complication occurred. The 1-3 sessions of those procedures reduced the frequency of high fever and improved the swelling of those lesions. The injection and aspiration technique maximises the efficacy of sclerotherapy for extensive macrocystic LM in adults.