Outcomes and complications of sclerotherapy for venous malformations

Objective: To determine the efficacy of sclerotherapy for venous malformations (VMs).

Methods: PubMed was used to search the medical literatures for publication on the combined topics of "VMs and sclerotherapy." The final evaluation of the venous lesions was based on both objective parameters and subjective parameters. Complications were also recorded.

Results: A total of 35 studies published between 1986 and 2011 matched the selection criteria and were included. Ethanol, polidocanol, ethanolamine oleate, and sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS) are the 4 mainstream sclerosants. The total efficiency of these 4 sclerosants all exceeded 90% except STS. Skin damage (10.0%) was the most common minor complication. Other complications included renal damage (3.9%), nerve damage (1.85%), muscle damage (0.66%), pulmonary embolism (0.25%), cardiovascular collapse (0.08%), and others.

Conclusions: Sclerotherapy is effective for VMs. However, there is limited evidence from randomized clinical trials to support the use of any kinds of sclerosants.