Endovenous therapy for the treatment of congenital venous malformations

Die Marginalvene – nach wie vor eine seltene Entität: Fallserie von 16 Patienten

Hintergrund

Die Marginalvene (MV) ist eine angeborene, vorwiegend venöse Gefäßmalformation, die auf einer fehlenden Rückbildung des embryonalen Venensystems an den unteren Extremitäten beruht. Sie geht mit einer Vielzahl an Komplikationen einher. Bisher werden in der Literatur keine einheitlichen Therapieregime beschrieben.

Fragestellung

Welche Behandlungsstrategien und Ergebnisse gibt es bei Patienten mit MV?

Material und Methoden

Im Zeitraum 01.01.2008 bis 31.12.2020 wurden alle am Universitätsklinikum Augsburg behandelten Patienten mit Marginalvene retrospektiv aufgearbeitet.

Ergebnisse

Das mediane Alter zum Diagnosezeitpunkt lag bei 14,8 Jahren (3–42 Jahre). 12/16 Patienten hatten eine Beinlängendifferenz. 75 % der Patienten (12/16) hatten bereits zur Diagnosestellung MV eine chronisch-venöse Insuffizienz (CVI). Im untersuchten Kollektiv wurden 62,5 % (10/16) der Patienten zum Zeitpunkt der Diagnosestellung mittels Kompression konservativ behandelt. Bei weiteren 31,3 % (5/16) der Patienten erfolgte primär eine offen-chirurgische Entfernung der MV und bei 1/16 Patienten wurde die MV primär mittels endovenöser Lasertherapie (EVLT) verschlossen; 15/16 Patienten wurden sekundär therapiert. 2,6 ± 2,4 (MW ± SD) Sekundärprozeduren wurden pro Patient im Follow up durchgeführt. Das mittlere Follow-up lag bei 8,1 Jahren.

Diskussion

Zur Prävention/Vermeidung einer Progression einer CVI und Thrombembolieprophylaxe sollte nach Diagnosestellung die MV zeitnah verschlossen/entfernt werden. Die Anwendung chirurgisch-konventioneller Techniken zur Entfernung der MV scheint gegenüber der Behandlung mit minimal-invasiven Prozeduren hinsichtlich der Anzahl der erforderlichen Sekundäreingriffe von Vorteil.

Non-invasive magnetic resonance-guided high intensity focused ultrasound ablation of a vascular malformation in the lower extremity: a case report

Introduction

Therapy of choice for symptomatic vascular malformations consists of surgery, sclerotherapy, or embolization. However, these techniques are invasive with possible complications and require hospitalization. We present a novel non-invasive technique, i.e., magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (MR-HIFU) ablation, for the treatment of a vascular malformation in a patient. This technique applies high-intensity sound waves transcutaneously to the body and is fully non-invasive. MRI guidance is the novel aspect of HIFU treatments and is used for exquisite delineation and localization of the lesion and accurate real-time temperature monitoring during tissue ablation. MR-HIFU is a well-established treatment option for uterine fibroids and is currently being investigated for, e.g., bone tumors, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and liver cancer. MR-HIFU of vascular malformations has not been a topic of research yet.

Case description

Volumetric MR-HIFU ablation of a vascular malformation in the lower extremity of an 18-year-old male patient was performed. Temperatures of 62–80 °C were reached in the target lesion with sonications of 4 × 4 × 8 mm using powers of 200 W for <20 s. At 1-month follow-up, the patient reported qualitatively sustained reduction of pain and normal motor function. Three-month follow-up imaging indicated successful nidus destruction, which resulted in reduction of >30 % of the tumor volume. After 13 months, pain score was reduced to <2 after extreme exertion for several hours and to 0 for daily activities.

Discussion and evaluation

Radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation are minimally invasive techniques that have been tried on low-flow vascular malformations with inconsistent results. Furthermore, both techniques require probe insertion, which is associated with risks of wound infection and hospitalization. Since MR-HIFU is truly non-invasive, these risks are negligible.

Conclusions

In conclusion, we reported a successful non-invasive treatment of a vascular malformation with MR-HIFU in a clinical patient including long-term follow-up data for the first time. The patient reported qualitatively sustained pain reduction up to 13 months post treatment.

Comparison between absolute ethanol and bleomycin for the treatment of venous malformation in children

The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacies and treatment effects of absolute ethanol and bleomycin for the treatment of venous malformation (VM) in children. A total of 138 children with VM were randomly divided into two groups; 75 patients were treated with absolute ethanol, while a further 63 were treated with bleomycin under general anesthesia between February 2009 and February 2012. The treatment outcome and complications were observed in the two groups and the treatment efficacy was classified as one of four categories: cured, markedly effective, effective and ineffective. The curative effect was analyzed 6–24 months after treatment, with a mean of 15 months. Absolute ethanol was effective (cured, markedly effective or effective) in 71 cases and bleomycin was effective in 41 cases, and the difference between the effective rates was considered to be statistically significant (χ²=19.6, P<0.05). In the absolute ethanol group there were 14 cases with skin necrosis, 17 patients had serious localized swelling which required additional treatment, three patients developed muscle fibrosis and one patient suffered a brain embolism. In the bleomycin group there were five cases with skin necrosis and the difference in the incidence of adverse reactions was considered to be statistically significant (χ²=18.8, P<0.05). The curative effect of sclerotherapy for VM is clear, and absolute ethanol is the most effective sclerosing agent, but has a greater incidence of adverse side-effects than bleomycin. The major side-effect is skin necrosis. The choice of sclerotherapy depends on the classification of VM in children.

Vascular malformations

Vascular malformations are rare but important skin disorders in children, which often require multidisciplinary care. The goal of this article is to orient pediatricians to the various types of vascular malformations. We discuss the clinical characteristics, diagnostic criteria, and management of capillary, venous, arteriovenous, and lymphatic malformations. Associated findings and syndromes are also discussed briefly.