Efficiency and safety of ethanol sclerotherapy for labial arteriovenous malformations

Labial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), usually with accompanying cosmetic defects, pain, and bleeding, are aggressive with a high risk of recurrence and the absence of effective treatment. In the present report, we have described a technique of sclerotherapy for labial AVMs.

Patients with labial AVMs were treated with percutaneous ethanol sclerotherapy with or without polyvinyl alcohol particle embolization. The efficiency, complications, and recurrence rate were analyzed with imaging studies and clinical follow-up data.

All 15 patients had received one or more treatment sessions, of whom 8 had experienced a cure (53.3%) and 5 had experienced remission (33.3%). The two patients who had not experienced an effective result were awaiting further treatment at the last follow-up examination. Four patients (26.7%) who had undergone ethanol sclerotherapy combined with polyvinyl alcohol particle embolization had experienced recurrence. No patient who had undergone only sclerotherapy had developed recurrence at a mean follow-up of 17.2 ± 8.1 months. Thirteen patients had experienced transient complications, including swelling, mild bleeding, and blistering. One patient had a postoperative scar of ∼0.5 cm.

Ethanol sclerotherapy appears effective as a treatment of labial AVMs. Careful application of the treatment could reduce the occurrence of complications.