Novel application of percutaneous cryotherapy for the treatment of recurrent oral bleeding from a noninvoluting congenital hemangioma involving the right buccal space and maxillary tuberosity.

Cryotherapy is the application of varying extremes of cold temperatures to destroy abnormal tissue. The intent of this article is to describe a novel technique using percutaneous cryotherapy for treating a noninvoluting congenital craniofacial hemangioma (NICH). An 18-year-old woman with type 1 von Willebrand's disease, as well as a qualitative platelet aggregation disorder, presented with multiple recurrent episodes of oral bleeding from a NICH involving the right buccal space and maxillary tuberosity. The patient was initially treated with a combination of endovascular particulate embolization, percutaneous sclerotherapy, tissue cauterization, and laser therapy between the ages of 4 and 8 years of age. At 18 years of age, the patient presented with recurrent episodes of oral bleeding related to the NICH. Endovascular embolization was performed using particulate and a liquid embolic agent with limited success. Due to the refractory nature of this bleeding, the patient underwent successful lesion ablation using percutaneous cryotherapy. At 9-month follow-up, the patient is asymptomatic with no episodes of recurrent bleeding.