Ethanol and/or radiofrequency ablation to treat venolymphatic malformations that manifest as a bulging mass in the head and neck

Aim To evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound (US)-guided ethanol ablation (EA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for treating venolymphatic malformations (VLM) of the head and neck. Materials and methods US-guided EA and/or RFA were performed on 17 patients with VLM of the head and neck. Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to locate the cranial nerves and salivary gland ducts that were close to targets, and these were avoided during the procedures. Treatment response was assessed using volume reduction and cosmetic grading scoring. Results Nine VLMs were located close to the functional structures: Stensen's duct ( n =3), cranial nerve branch ( n =3), or both ( n =3). All patients demonstrated >50% volume reduction, except one patient with a microcystic lymphatic malformation that was abutting the facial nerve. Median cosmetic grading scores improved from 4 to 1 ( p