Background: Vascular malformations are birth defects that happen when different stages of angiogenesis shut down. 44 - 64% of all vascular malformations are venous malformations [VMs]. Sclerotherapy is the first treatment line for VMs. It acts by getting rid of the vascular endothelial cells in the lesion. One of the most common sclerosing agents for VMs is polidocanol, which is a popular counterpart for concentrated ethanol.
Aim of the work: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Ethanol in comparison to polidocanol foam sclerotherapy in the treatment of venous malformation.
Patients and Methods: This prospective interventional study included 20 patients with VM that operated at the department of surgery of Al-Azhar University Hospitals, New Damietta and International Medical Center, Cairo, Egypt from October 2018 to March 2021. Patients were divided into 2 groups. Group A [ethanol] and Group B [Polidocanol].
Results: The difference between the 2 groups regarding the demographics, postoperative change of symptoms, degree of satisfaction, and complications, was not significant indicating that polidocanol foam is nearly as effective as ethanol however, it was slightly more tolerated with fewer side effects compared to ethanol.
Conclusion: Polidocanol foam is an effective therapeutic option for VM. Although ethanol produces good outcomes with few major side effects, polidocanol has a low chance of damaging adjacent tissue. Polidocanol foam works almost as well as ethanol.