[Sclerosing treatment of vascular malformations].

Traditional sclerotherapy with liquid sclerosants has been used for many years in the treatment of venous, lymphatic and low flow vascular malformations; it is efficient only with those vascular malformations of reduced size as a pre or post-operational complement. The use of liquid sclerosants has the limitations of their dilution and progressive inactivation in a great haematic volume, the irregular distribution of the sclerosant on the endothelium, the handling of the sclerosant once injected and its imperceptibility to the echo-Doppler. In their turn, both ethanol and sodium morrhuate - the most habitually employed sclerosants - produce important secondary effects. On the contrary, the use of sclerosants, specifically polidocanol in microfoam form, significantly improves the procedure, since the microfoam displaces the blood instead of mixing and diluting itself in it, thus facilitating an homogeneous distribution of the sclerosant over the endothelial surface. Finally, the echogenicity of the microbubbles, which makes them directly visible, together with their manageable consistency, means that it can be distributed more easily throughout the treated area. We comment on our experience with 50 patients with venous or low flow vascular malformations, treated with this new form of sclerosant. Similarly, the use of OK-432 (picibanil) - as the recommended sclerosant treatment in lymphatic vascular, especially macrocystic, malformations - is reviewed and its protocol given.