Percutaneous Ablation (Sclerotherapy)
Please Note
Percutaneous ablation is also known as "sclerotherapy". We may use these terms interchangeably when discussing the treatment of symptomatic vascular malformations.Congenital Vascular Malformations (CVM) occur in about 1% of all births and can vary from simple, flat birthmarks to complex, 3-dimensional structures deep within the body. They can be made up of arteries, veins, lymph vessels, or a combination of these. They are usually present at birth, but are unlikely to be passed on from parent to child or for there to be more than one in any given person.
Types of Congenital Vascular Malformations (CVM)
- Arterio-Venous Malformation (AVM): Abnormal communication of arteries and veins that is associated with high blood flow. These are considered the most serious type of malformation and can occur anywhere in the body and cause pain, bleeding or strain on the heart. Fortunately, they are the rarest type of malformation.
Arterial-Venous Malformations
- Venous Malformation (VM): These are the most common and often appear as dilated purple veins on the skin that are compressible. Occasionally, a VM will form blood clots and become swollen and painful. When they occur in the legs, they can also cause pain after standing or walking for long periods of time
Venous Malformations
- Lymphatic Malformation (LM): These are also very common, and involve the ducts that carry lymph fluid from the tissues and lymph nodes back to the heart. They often occur in combination with VMs since both have a common embryological origin.
Treatment Options
Treatment of a CVM involves the use of a needle or catheter to inject medical grade alcohol into the malformation to embolize (obstruct) the flow of blood. Embolization can be used to shrink a large CVM to make it easier to be operated on. In some cases, surgery may be avoided altogether. Sometimes the treatment requires several stages to fully eradicate the entire malformation. The specific procedure will depend on the type of CMV you have:
- Transcatheter Embolization: AVMs are typically treated by inserting a catheter into the artery that leads to the malformation. Particles, glue, coils, and a variety of agents may be injected to treat an AVM.
- Percutaneous Ablation: Venous and lymphatic malformations are generally treated by inserting a needle directly into the malformation and injecting medical grade alcohol or a similar agent into them to get them to shrink down and perhaps go away altogether.
General Information You Need to Know When You Get Home
- You may have pain and swelling at the treated site for up to a month, but this is usually greatest at the start and should continue to decrease over time.
- Call the IR Nurse Line if you have any questions or any of the following
- Increased redness at the site of injection or catheter access.
- If you received a nerve block and numbness and/or weakness of the involved extremity persists for more than 24 hours.
- Increasing pain that is not relieved with pain medication.
- Increased swelling and/or tingling at site of treatment that does not respond to routine post-procedure care (see below).
- Skin breakdown, blister, skin with blackened areas, or decreased ability to move the treated limb.
- You will receive a call from us at 1 week and 1 month after your procedure to see how you are doing.
Interventional Radiology Contact Information
Office Hours 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Post procedure questions and RN Triage:
Phone: 650-736-9081 — Fax: 650-736-7734
Email: irprocedure@stanfordmed.org for non- urgent concerns only
