Search

Background: Foam sclerotherapy is currently the first-line treatment for venous malformations (VMs). Hyaluronic acid-polidocanol (HA-POL) foam has been used in the treatment of head and neck VMs recently; however, its clinical efficacy and safety have yet to be further evaluated, and the impact of age and other related factors on its safety is still unclear., Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of HA-POL foam in the treatment of head and neck VMs., Methods and Materials: We performed a single-center retrospective review of all patients with VMs involving the head and neck region undergoing HA-POL foam sclerotherapy from February 2015 to February 2022 in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department of Qilu Hospital Shandong University. Patients' medical records were collected and all patients enrolled were followed up for 1-6 months (group 1), part of them were followed up for 3-9 years (group 2)., Results: A total of 223 patients with head and neck VMs were enrolled in the study, with 36 patients who were followed for 3-9 years. Total response rate in group 1 was 96.41% ( n  = 215), of which 30.94% ( n  = 69) of the patients met the criteria of "resolution," and 65.47% ( n  = 146) of the patients had "significant improvement." In group 2, the total response rate was 72.22% ( n  = 26), of which the rates of the patients met the criteria of "resolution" and patients had "significant improvement" were all 36.11% ( n  = 13)0.144 (64.57%) patients experienced complications like localized swelling, pain and fever, and no serious complications occurred. The risk of developing complications after treatment was independent of age, and was weakly associated with the dose of HA-POL foam., Conclusion: The HA-POL foam sclerotherapy is safe and effective in the treatment of head and neck VMs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Sun, Liu, Chen, Wang and Liu.)

Background: The Tessari method is commonly used in sclerotherapy for producing foam, involving 2 syringes pushed back and forth 20 times with the use of a 3-way connector. Many factors affect the foam stability which is crucial for clinical efficacy., Objective: This study aimed to identify the optimal pushing rate which may impact the foam stability., Materials and Methods: Polidocanol (POL) solution (1% and 3%) was used to make sclerosant foam via the Tessari method, with a total of 20 pushes performed at different time durations: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 seconds. The foam stability was recorded using foam half-life time (FHT), and the pushing pressure to the syringe was recorded using a self-made electric device. Both FHT and the pressure among different groups were compared respectively., Results: The FHT was decreased as pushing duration exceeding 20 seconds in POL 1% and 15 seconds in POL 3%. Both the highest FHT and pressure point were located in the 10-second group., Conclusion: It is recommended to complete 20 back-and-forth passages within 10 seconds to create stable foam., (Copyright © 2024 by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Inc. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)