[Cervico-cephalic vascular malformations. Current treatment protocol. Apropos of 230 cases]

In the light of 230 cases of vascular malformations in the cervico-facial region and the scalp treated over a 7 year period, the value of embolization is specified. Embolization permits effective treatment of the complications of these lesions, in particular haemorrhage. The reduction of swelling that can be obtained is always marked, but often incomplete : this is largely due to an associated hypertrophy of the neighbouring nonangiomatous tissues : such hypertrophy most often necessitates plastic surgery in order to obtain complete correction of the local disfigurement. With the introduction of embolization, the scope for surgery has been radically transformed, and one can often now consider a complete eradication of an extensive vascular malformation as well as correction of the associated local tissue dystrophy.