OBJECTIVE: We wanted to evaluate the safety and feasibility of ethanol sclerotherapy for treating craniofacial venous malformations (CVMs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From May 1998 to April 2007, 87 patients (40 men and 47 women; age range, 2-68 years) with CVMs underwent staged ethanol sclerotherapy (range, 1-21 sessions; median number of sessions, 2) by the direct puncture technique. Clinical follow up (range, 0-120 months; mean follow up, 35 months; median follow up, 28 months) was performed for all the patients. Therapeutic outcomes were established by evaluating the clinical outcome of the signs and symptoms in all patients, as well as the degree of devascularization, which was determined on the follow-up imaging, in 71 patients. RESULTS: A total of 305 procedures with the use of ethanol were performed in 87 patients. Follow-up imaging studies were performed for 71 of 87 patients. Twenty-three (32%) of the 71 patients showed excellent outcomes, 37 patients (52%) showed good outcomes and 11 patients (16%) showed poor outcomes. Ethanol sclerotherapy was considered effective for 60 patients. All the minor complications such as bulla (n = 5) healed with only wound dressing and observation. Any major complication such as skin necrosis did not develop. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous ethanol sclerotherapy is an effective, safe treatment for CVMs.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Analgesics/administration & dosage ; Anti-Infective Agents, Local/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Craniofacial Abnormalities/*therapy ; Ethanol/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain/drug therapy/etiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Sclerosing Solutions/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Sclerotherapy/adverse effects/*methods ; Treatment Outcome ; Vascular Malformations/*therapy ; Young Adult

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Anesthetics, Local ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Anti-Infective Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mouth Diseases ; drug therapy ; Time Factors ; Young Adult

Orthognathic surgery is frequently accompanied by intermaxillary fixation. Intermaxillary fixation impedes the maintenance of effective oral hygiene and prolonged fixation can result in periodontal disease. A potential shorter term effect is the generation of oral malodour. It is unclear, however, as to how the production of malodorous compounds in the oral cavity is altered post-surgery. Oral air concentration of sulphur containing compounds, short chain organic acids, ammonia, isoprene and acetone were measured using selected ion flow tube-mass spectrometry in a patient who had undergone orthognathic surgery with subsequent intermaxillary fixation. Total sulphide levels rose approximately 5-fold during fixation with metal ties, with smaller increases recorded for the other compounds measured with the exception of isoprene which remained close to baseline levels. Organic acid levels declined markedly once elastic ties had replaced metal ties, with a lesser reduction being observed in sulphide levels, with both declining further after the commencement of a chlorhexidine-containing mouthwash. These data suggest that bacterial generation of a variety of malodorous compounds increases markedly following intermaxillary fixation. This single case also suggests that the use of elastic ties and effective oral hygiene techniques, including the use of chlorhexidine mouthwash, may help ameliorate such post-surgical effects.
Adult ; Anti-Infective Agents, Local ; therapeutic use ; Breath Tests ; Chlorhexidine ; therapeutic use ; Halitosis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Humans ; Jaw Fixation Techniques ; adverse effects ; instrumentation ; Male ; Mandibular Advancement ; Metals ; adverse effects ; Mouthwashes ; therapeutic use ; Orthognathic Surgical Procedures ; Spectrometry, Mass, Secondary Ion ; Sulfides ; analysis