Efficacy of ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy combined with radiofrequency ablation on the treatment of complex lymphatic malformations in children / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy combined with radiofrequency ablation on the complex lymphatic malformations (LM) in children.Methods:The clinical data of 21 children with complex LM treated with ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy combined with radiofrequency ablation in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 2018 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.Intraoperative and postoperative complications were recorded.Imaging examinations were performed at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24 months postoperatively to observe the recurrence, the volume of the lesions and their reduction rate were calculated, and the efficacy was analyzed. Friedman test was used to compare the lesion volume at different time points before and after surgery, and the reduction rate of lesion volume at 1 month postoperatively and other time points after surgery. Results:A total of 21 children were included in this study, among them, there were 12 males and 9 females, age range from 1 month to 5 years and 6 months, with a median age of 23 months.A total of 26 LM in 21 children were successfully treated, and no serious complications like organ damage occurred during and after surgery.One patient with abdominal LM had a postoperative infection, which was controlled by 3 weeks of catheter drainage.Four LM in 3 children recurred at 3 or 6 months after surgery, while all lesions were significantly narrowed down than those before surgery and they were cured after 1-3 sessions of continued sclerotherapy.There were significant differences in the lesion volumes before surgery and 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months postoperatively [222.26(159.57, 316.40) cm 3vs.43.06(22.74, 62.53) cm 3, 31.56(15.49, 45.94) cm 3, 25.21(9.63, 36.22) cm 3, 19.80(6.79, 28.81) cm 3, 12.80(3.93, 20.38) cm 3, 7.13(0, 11.34) cm 3, and 2.79(0, 4.93) cm 3; all P<0.05]. There were significant differences between the volume reduction rates at 1 month postoperatively and 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months postoperatively [79.36(73.30, 87.81)% vs.85.40(81.09, 91.61)%, 88.85(84.70, 93.61)%, 91.67(87.87, 95.05)%, 94.15(94.47, 97.35)%, 97.11(95.02, 100.00)%, and 99.04(97.93, 100.00)%; all P<0.05]. Patients were followed up for 24 months, and all of them were cured. Conclusions:Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy combined with radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive, safe and effective therapeutic strategy for children with complex LM.