Treatment of venous malformations in pediatric population – three- year experience

Abstract

Venous malformations (VMs) are a type of vascular malformations that result in abnormal development of veins that become extensible over time due to an error in vascular morphogenesis. They usually appear in newborns or in early adulthood as a bluish, soft, swollen and eventually painful skin formation. Treatment includes conservative therapy, sclerotherapy and surgical excision. Aim of the paper is to evaluate the therapeutic effect of scleraotherapy in pediatric patients with venous malformations. Material and methods: In a three-year period, from 2019 to 2021, venous malformation was found in 33 patients aged 4 to 14 years (average age: 8 years). Pain as a symptom occurred in 8 patients. Two patients had lesions measuring up to 5 cm and 5 cm respectively, while in the remaining subjects the lesion was over 5 cm. Ultrasound was performed routinely in all subjects, and MRI in two patients. Conservative treatment was instituted in 13 patients with venous malformations of the extremities, surgical excision with local reconstruction was performed in 11 patients, and sclerotherapy with bleomycin under general anesthesia was performed in 8 patients. Combined treatment was used in one patient that presented with venous malformation of the upper arm that underwent partial sclerotherapy with subsequent operative excision due to a phlebolith. Follow-up examinations revealed regression of the change not only from functional but from aesthetic aspect as well. Conclusion: Sclerotherapy is the established golden standard, first-line treatment for venous malformations. Excellent results were achieved as the reduction of the lesions was below 50% of the initial size. However, the modality of treatment should be individualized to each patient as it can sometimes require a combination of more than one treatment option. Venous malformations are best treated early, but they usually recur over time. Treatment helps relieve symptoms and control the growth of vascular malformations.