Interstitial bleomycin sclerotherapy in children with vascular malformations: Our initial experience in Hong Kong

Abstract Background Vascular malformations represent a wide spectrum of disorders in children. Recently, interstitial bleomycin sclerotherapy has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for selected cases of vascular malformation in children and adults. Aim To evaluate the short‐term outcome and safety of interstitial bleomycin sclerotherapy in children with vascular malformations. Methods This is a retrospective study in which patients under 18 years old with vascular malformation undergoing bleomycin sclerotherapy between August 2019 and January 2022 in Hong Kong were included. Relevant demographics of the included patients were collected. Short‐term outcomes including clinical response, immediate and early complications were evaluated. Results Four patients who aged from 4 to 8 years old were identified, three with lymphatic malformation and one with arteriovenous malformation. A total of eight sessions of interstitial bleomycin sclerotherapy were performed. Three of them reported clinical response with either reduction in lesion size or reduction in discomfort or disfigurement. No immediate complication was reported. However, one of them experienced post‐operative hyperpigmentation with scratch marks. Conclusion The experience in the use of interstitial bleomycin sclerotherapy in children with vascular malformations is still limited in our locality. Further study with larger cohorts and longer follow‐up is required to further establish its efficacy and safety profile in paediatric patients.