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Venous malformation of the pediatric airway
L A Ohlms1, J Forsen, P E Burrows
1Department of Otolaryngology, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Objective:
To evaluate the management of venous malformations of the pediatric airway, including diagnostic criteria and response to sclerotherapy and laser photocoagulation.
Design:
Case series analysis of eight patients diagnosed with venous malformations of the upper airway.
Setting:
Academic, tertiary care, children's hospital.
Patients:
Eight patients (3 female, 5 male) with congenital venous malformations of the upper airway.
Intervention:
Each patient underwent an individualized treatment regimen of sclerotherapy, laser photocoagulation and/or surgery.
Results:
The combination of sclerotherapy and laser photocoagulation appears to cause gradual regression of the malformation. Five of the eight patients will require further therapy; two patients remain tracheotomy dependent.
Conclusions:
Extensive venous malformations of the pediatric airway require staged therapy, with a combination of sclerotherapy and photocoagulation. Long-term follow-up is essential because of the natural history of these lesions.