Benign oral vascular lesions treated by sclerotherapy with ethanolamine oleate: A retrospective study of 43 patients

BACKGROUND: Although sclerotherapy is a common treatment for benign oral vascular lesions, there is no well-standardized protocol for this purpose. The aim of the present study was to describe the clinical characteristics of patients treated by sclerotherapy with ethanolamine oleate (EO), in order to contribute to a better understanding of this technique. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Medical records and images of 90 patients treated by the same sclerotherapy protocol were retrieved and analysed. Thus, 43 cases with complete information were selected and described. RESULTS: The most affected age group was 41–70 years, with a female predominance and 86% of patients being Caucasian. Lips were the most affect site (70%) followed by the tongue (16%). Regarding clinical appearance, approximately 90% of lesions were classified as nodules, and 90% of patients reported no pain. Approximately 40% of lesions were 0.5–1.0 cm in size. In 58% of the patients, only one application of ethanolamine oleate was necessary. The application doses varied according to the lesion size and number of applications. Complete clinical regression occurred in 91% of cases, whereas 9% showed partial regression. CONCLUSIONS: Sclerotherapy with EO is an acceptable, effective and affordable treatment for benign oral vascular lesions. Key words:Hemangioma, vascular malformations, varicose veins, sclerotherapy.