Serum ethanol levels after alcohol sclerotherapy of arteriovenous malformations

We analyzed the effects of several factors on the serum ethanol levels after alcohol sclerotherapy in the arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) retrospectively. Blood ethanol level, amounts of given alcohol, location of lesions, methods of flow control, and Doppler resistive index (RI) were analyzed. The results of linear regression analysis showed that the amount of alcohol administered was the predictor of serum ethanol level (r2=0.75, p<0.001). The average amount of injected alcohol was 0.89 mL/kg in the patients with the serum levels above the legal intoxication level (>80 mg/dL). Location of the lesions was not related with the serum ethanol level (p=0.643), and other variables such as forms of flow control and RI were not related to the serum ethanol level after controlling for injected amounts of alcohol (analysis of covariance). It is recommended to keep an eye on the possibility of intoxication when using the amounts of alcohol exceeding 0.89 mL/kg in the sclerotherapy of AVMs.