Treatment of Head and Neck Venous Malformations with Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to discuss the clinical outcomes and complications of treating venous malformations with sclerotherapy, with sodium tetradecyl sulfate as the sclerosing agent. Study Design: Case series with planned data collection. Setting: Amiralam Hospital—a referral otolaryngology–head and neck surgery hospital affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Subjects and Methods: A total of 345 patients with venous malformations were treated with sclerotherapy with sodium tetradecyl sulfate 3% (1 mL for every 1 cm3 of the lesion). The venous malformation location, treatments before the current sclerotherapy with sodium tetradecyl sulfate, the number of sclerotherapy sessions, and complications resulting from sclerotherapy were recorded. Follow-up assessments were done for a minimum of 1 year following the procedure. A favorable outcome was defined as a 50% decrease in the lesion size based on clinical and radiologic assessments. Results: A total of 759 injection sessions were documented, ranging from 1 to 6 injections per patient (mean = 3.1). The follow-up duration ranged from 12 to 84 months (mean = 55 months). Based on clinical assessment, a 50% reduction of size was reported for 95.6% of the patients. According to the imaging before and after the procedures, a 50% reduction of size was seen among 67.3% of the patients. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the use of sodium tetradecyl sulfate as a sclerosing substance can effectively reduce the size of venous malformation lesions.