Macrocystic Lymphangioma in Children Treated by Sclerotherapy With Bleomycin

Cervical Cystic Lymphangioma in Young Adults: A Case Report and Literature Review

Cystic lymphangioma is a rare benign congenital malformation of the lymphatic system. It usually presents in childhood and rarely in young adults. Its management lacks consensus, and its prognosis varies depending on the location. We report a case of cervical cystic lymphangioma in a young adult with chronic left lateral cervical swelling. Examination revealed a high jugulocarotid swelling, non-pulsatile, and transilluminable. Radiographic exploration suggested a cystic lymphangioma. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis. The patient underwent a sclerotherapy session, followed by surgical excision. Our case illustrates a rare presentation of cervical cystic lymphangioma in a young adult and aims to increase awareness of this rare entity and provide literature insights into its diagnosis and treatment in adult patients.

Efficiency and clinical results of bleomycin injection in the treatment of lymphatic malformations

Background

Lymphatic malformations (LMs) are rare congenital anomalies. The traditional treatment is surgical excision, but intralesional sclerosing agent injection is also preferred as the first-choice treatment because of postoperative frequent recurrences, poor cosmetic results, and high complication rate. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of sclerosing agent injection used in the treatment of LMs in children.

Materials and Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the children who were treated for LM between January 2011 and January 2022. The lesion sizes of the patients who were injected with sclerosant (Bleomycin) under sedation anesthesia, measured by ultrasound before and after the treatment, were recorded, and the difference between them was statistically evaluated.

Results

Fifteen patients were retrospectively analyzed. The mean age was 45.2 ± 14.1 months. Of these, ten (66.6%) were male and five (33.3%) were female (F/M = 1/2). The mean age of male patients was 55 ± 20.1 months; the mean age of female patients was 25.8 ± 11. Seven patients had a single dose, two had twice, and six had three and more. The mean measurable size of macrocystic lesions before treatment was 55.2 ± 28.4 mm; after treatment, it was 23.8 ± 18.2 mm. Although no measurable shrinkage was detected in microcystic lesions, it was observed that the lesion shrank to allow surgical resection. With the statistical analysis, it was seen that there was a statistically significant difference between the dimensions before and after the treatment (P < 0.05) and the sclerosant injection had a great effect on the treatment (R: 0.89).

Conclusion

Intralesional injection of bleomycin is less effective for microcystic or mixed-type LMs, but provides an effective reduction for a safe surgical procedure. It is an effective treatment for macrocystic lesions.

Cervical lymphangioma in adults: A report of seven cases and review of the literature

Background

Cervical lymphangioma usually occurs in children and is relatively rare in adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of cervical lymphangiomas in adults.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and analyzed clinical data obtained from seven adult patients who suffered from cervical lymphangioma from January 2008 to June 2021.

Results

Five (71.43%) of seven cases were asymptomatic and four (57.14%) lymphangiomas had a maximum diameter ≥ 10 cm. Each cervical lymphangioma was located adjacent to the carotid sheath. All the cervical lymphangiomas were completely surgically excised and were pathologically diagnosed as cystic lymphangioma. After a median 32 months follow-up period, no recurrence was observed.

Conclusion

Cervical lymphangiomas from adults are often large asymptomatic masses infiltrating or adjacent to surrounding vital structures which brings many difficulties to the surgery, requiring an experienced surgeon to remove the mass.

Salivary Gland Disorders in Pediatric Patients: A 20 Years’ Experience

Salivary gland disorders are uncommon in children; they show a lower prevalence when compared to adults. The literature has a relative lack of information about the management and the different treatment protocols regarding these diseases. The aim of this research is to investigate the prevalence of both benign and malignant salivary gland disorders, focusing on diagnostic and therapy. An audit of patients diagnosed with salivary gland disorders was conducted from 2000 to 2020. 99 patients’ records were selected and analyzed: 51 males’ and 48 females’, age 10 ± 4 SD. Obstructive pathologies were the most frequently diagnosed (49 patients) followed by oncologic (21 patients), inflammatory (20 patients), rheumatologic (4 patients), malformative (3 patients) and infective disorders (2 patients). The parotid was the most affected major gland in 47 cases with a prevalence of diagnosis of juvenile recurrent parotitis (JRP) (40.4%), followed by the sublingual gland in 14 cases of ranula (100%) and the submandibular gland in 11 patients suffering from sialolithiasis (84.6%). Swelling was the most common symptom (75.7% of patients). Seven different neoplasms were documented. A greater prevalence of low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma among the malignant group (38.1% of oncologic cases) was noted. In regards to benign tumors, pleomorphic adenoma was the most common diagnosis (47.6% of cases). The symptoms and outcomes showed statistical significance concerning gender. Although salivary gland diseases in children and adolescents are rare, it is essential to observe and monitor all of the symptoms to intervene if necessary, as painless swelling is a symptom common from both benign and malignant diseases.

Computed Tomography Image Characteristics before and after Interventional Treatment of Children's Lymphangioma under Artificial Intelligence Algorithm

The artificial intelligence algorithm was used to analyze the characteristics of computed tomography (CT) images before and after interventional treatment of children's lymphangioma. Retrospective analysis was performed, and 30 children with lymphangioma from the hospital were recruited as the study subjects. The ultrasound-guided bleomycin interventional therapy was adopted and applied to CT scanning through convolutional neural network (CNN). The CT imaging-related indicators before and after interventional therapy were detected, and feature analysis was performed. In addition, the CNN algorithm was adopted to segment the image of the tumor was clearer and more accurate. At the same time, the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of the CNN algorithm was 0.9, which had a higher degree of agreement. In terms of clinical symptoms, the cured children's lesions disappeared, the skin surface returned to normal color, and the treatment was smooth. In the two cases with effective treatment, the cystic mass at the lesion site was significantly smaller, and the nodules disappeared. CT images before interventional therapy showed that lymphangiomas in children were more common in the neck. The cystic masses at all lesion sites varied in diameter and size, and most of them were similar to round and irregular, with uniform density distribution. The boundary was clear, the cyst was solid, and there were different degrees of compression and spread to the surrounding structure. Most of them were polycystic, and a few of them were single cystic. After interventional treatment, CT images showed that 27 cases of cured children's lymphangioma completely disappeared. Lymphangioma was significantly reduced in two children with effective treatment. Edema around the tumor also decreased significantly. Patients who did not respond to the treatment received interventional treatment again, and the tumors disappeared completely on CT imaging. No recurrence or new occurrence was found in three-month follow-up. The total effective rate of interventional therapy for lymphangioma in children was 96.67%. The CNN algorithm can effectively compare the CT image features before and after interventional treatment for children's lymphangioma. It was suggested that the artificial intelligence algorithm-aided CT imaging examination was helpful to guide physicians in the accurate treatment of children's lymphangioma.

Results of Injection Sclerotherapy with Bleomycin in Pediatric Lymphatic Malformations

Aim:

The aim of the study was to evaluate the results of injection sclerotherapy with bleomycin in pediatric patients with lymphatic malformations.

Materials and Methods:

In this prospective cohort study, all consenting pediatric patients with macrocystic lymphatic malformations were managed with injection bleomycin sclerotherapy (0.5 mg/kg, not exceeding 5 mg at a time) under ultrasound (US) guidance. After aspirating the cyst fluid bleomycin was instilled intralesionally in a ratio of 5:1 (aspirated cyst fluid volume: diluted bleomycin solution volume). Patients were reassessed at three weekly intervals. The response to therapy was assessed clinically as well as by size and volume on ultrasound Doppler study. The response was classified as excellent response, i.e., complete regression, good response >50% regression, and poor response <50% regression.

Results:

Sixty patients with lymphatic malformations were enrolled in the study, the mean age was 3.22 years, and the male-to-female was 2.5:1. The most common site of lesion was in the neck (43.3%), followed by the axilla (15%) and flank (8.3%). The responses were excellent, good, and poor in 43 (71.6%), 12 (20%), and five (8.3%) patients, respectively. Two patients underwent surgical excision of the residual lesion. Complications noted were fever in six, local pain in five, and residual lesion in three patients.

Conclusion:

Sclerotherapy with bleomycin is simple, safe, and effective in the first line of management for macrocystic lymphatic malformations in children.