Treatment of a branchial sinus tract by sclerotherapy

A 16-year-old female presented with a sinus on the skin just medial to the right clavicle, which had discharged clear fluid on a daily basis for a number of years. A sinogram was performed and showed a long sinus tract extending from the region of the right clavicle to the lateral pharyngeal wall. Surgical treatment would have required an extensive procedure and seemed inappropriate in view of the relatively mild symptoms the patient was experiencing. Instead sclerotherapy was used to induce healing of the lesion. This was performed using 3% sodium tetradecyl sulphate foam delivered via a catheter along the entire length of the tract. There were no immediate complications from this procedure and on review at 1 and 6 weeks post-procedure the patient reported a significant improvement in the fluid discharge. At 1 year post-procedure this improvement had been sustained. The patient did report an occasional discharge from the sinus tract orifice at the base of her neck, but she did not feel that this was a significant problem and declined any further treatment.