Intramuscular venous malformations of the calf: Surgical treatment outcomes of 57 patients

To report the outcomes of surgical treatment of calf intramuscular venous malformations (IMVMs) on pain, functional limitation, and quality of life.

We retrospectively reviewed 57 consecutive patients who had surgery for IMVM of the posterior compartment of the leg between 2010 and 2015. Treatments were all done at a single institution.

Patients presented with pain (52), muscle contracture (14), or pulmonary embolism (4). Muscle involvement included the soleus muscle (n = 28, 49%), the gastrocnemius muscle (n = 25, 43%), and deep muscles (n = 4, 7%). Complete excision was possible in 52 patients (91%) and partial excision in 5 (9%). Thirty-five of 46 patients who had an MRI follow-up at six months had no residual venous malformation. At the final follow-up (mean 39 months), 32 of 40 patients seen had no residual pain and 37 had no residual functional impairment.

In cases where IMVM is located in one muscle in the leg, we demonstrated that surgery yielded improvement in pain, function, and quality of life.