Efficacy and safety of sclerotherapy for digital mucous cysts

Efficacy of Bleomycin Intralesional Injection for Treating Digital Mucous Cysts: A Comparative Study of Corticosteroid Intralesional Injection and Surgical Excision

BACKGROUND

Sclerotherapy has shown superior efficacy among the nonsurgical options for managing digital mucous cysts (DMC). Notably, previous research has indicated that bleomycin offers a more favorable side-effect profile and similar efficacy to conventional sclerosing agents.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of bleomycin intralesional injection (ILI) for treating DMC through a comparative analysis of corticosteroid ILI and surgical excision.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed electronic medical records and clinical photographs. Telephone interviews were conducted to further investigate long-term treatment efficacy, safety, and overall treatment satisfaction.

RESULTS

Ten patients underwent surgical excision, and 13 and 15 patients received bleomycin and corticosteroid ILI, respectively. Both surgical excision and bleomycin ILI demonstrated superior treatment efficacy compared to corticosteroid ILI. No statistically significant difference in the treatment effectiveness between surgical excision and bleomycin ILI was observed. No significant adverse effects were observed. In the survey, the level of satisfaction was the highest for bleomycin ILI, followed by surgical excision and corticosteroid ILI.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that bleomycin ILI exhibits a treatment efficacy higher than that of corticosteroid ILI and slightly lower than that of surgical excision, without any side effects. Therefore, bleomycin ILI is a safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of DMC.

Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate: A Review of Clinical Uses

BACKGROUND

Sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS) is Food and Drug Administration approved for treatment of varicose veins, but numerous other off-label applications have been reported.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the clinical uses of STS, as well as efficacy and adverse effects.

METHODS

Review of studies searchable on PubMed from 1938 to 2016 describing clinical uses of STS to determine efficacy and adverse effects associated with various applications.

RESULTS

Sodium tetradecyl sulfate has shown efficacy in the treatment of varicose veins, telangiectasias, hemangioma, pyogenic granuloma, cherry angioma, Kaposi sarcoma, lymphangioma circumscriptum, digital mucous cyst, ganglion cyst, glomangioma, angiokeratoma of Fordyce, pseudocyst of the auricle, and verruca. Commonly reported side effects include pain, erythema, swelling, hyperpigmentation, telangiectatic matting, and ulceration. Serious side effects such as anaphylaxis, pulmonary embolism, stroke, and myocardial infarction have also been reported. Most sources were case reports and small prospective studies, as such the strength of data supporting many uses is limited by small sample sizes and lack of controls.

CONCLUSION

Although not always the most effective method of treatment in off-label usage, use of STS has been frequently selected for a variety of applications for reasons of simplicity, low cost, lack of availability of technologically advanced equipment, and intricacies related to anatomic location.