Venous malformations: sclerotherapy with a mixture of ethanol and lipiodol.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of a mixture of absolute ethanol and lipiodol in the management of venous malformations.

METHODS

Percutaneous sclerotherapy was performed with a mixture of absolute ethanol and lipiodol (9:1) in 17 patients with venous malformations, once in 12 patients, twice in 5. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by pain reduction. Conventional radiographs (n = 15) and posttreatment magnetic resonance imaging (n = 5) were obtained for the follow-up evaluation.

RESULTS

Sclerotherapy was successful in all but two patients. The therapeutic effect was excellent in two patients, good in seven, fair in five, and poor in one. Radiopacity of lipiodol was beneficial for monitoring the procedure rather than for follow-up evaluations. Areas with low signal-intensity strands were increased on T2-weighted images obtained after the sclerotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Sclerotherapy with a mixture of ethanol and lipiodol is effective in treating venous malformations.