Surgical Resection of Vascular Anomalies of the Upper Extremity-An Observational Study

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to investigate surgical resections of vascular malformations and haemangiomas of the upper extremity, pre- and postoperative symptoms, complications and recurrences. Methods: A total of 82 patients with vascular malformations and haemangiomas treated by surgical resection from 2010 to 2020 were included in this observational study. Pre- and postoperative symptoms, including pain and swelling, as well as complications and recurrence rates, were assessed. Descriptive statistics were provided for all reported data. Parametric and non-parametric tests were used for group comparisons. Alterations of reported pain were assessed. A two-sided alpha of 5% determined statistical significance. Results: A total of 88 procedures were performed in 82 patients. The most common vascular malformation was a venous malformation, followed by arterio-venous malformations. More than 50% of the patients reported pain prior to the surgery, while 14.6% of patients experienced pain postoperatively, which indicated significant improvement (p = 0.001). Minor postoperative complications occurred in 31.7% of patients. Overall, a recurrence rate of 17.1% was recorded during postoperative follow-up, mostly occurring in diffuse and infiltrating types of vascular malformations. Conclusions: Surgical resections of vascular anomalies of the upper extremity led to symptom improvement and are an important part of the multidisciplinary treatment algorithm.