Previous Article in Journal
Exploring Pain and Body Composition in Children with Cancer Compared to Healthy Controls: A Cross-Sectional Case-Control Study
Previous Article in Special Issue
Advances in Fluorescent Adjuncts in Pediatric Surgery: A Comprehensive Review of Applications of Indocyanine Green Across Surgical Specialties
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Children
Volume 12
Issue 9
10.3390/children12091167
children-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Bleomycin Electrosclerotherapy for Peripheral Low-Flow Venous and Lymphatic Malformations in Children: A Monocentric Case Series

by
Edoardo Guida
1,
Alessandro Boscarelli
1,*,
Zeljko Zovko
2,
Matea Peric-Anicic
2,
Marianna Iaquinto
1,
Maria-Grazia Scarpa
1,
Sonia Maita
1,
Damiana Olenik
1,
Daniela Codrich
1 and
Jürgen Schleef
1
1
Department of Pediatric Surgery and Urology, Institute for Maternal and Child Health—IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, 34137 Trieste, Italy
2
Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Mostar, 88000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Children 2025, 12(9), 1167; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12091167
Submission received: 1 August 2025 / Revised: 28 August 2025 / Accepted: 1 September 2025 / Published: 1 September 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Pediatric Surgery: Innovative Approaches and Emerging Technologies)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Background: Vascular malformations are relatively common in children. Current therapeutic strategies include observation, medical therapy, sclerotherapy or embolization, laser therapy, cryoablation, and surgery, depending on the type and anatomical location of the malformation. Surgery is commonly limited to small and/or circumscribed lesions, to debulking in case of large volumes, or in drug-resistant cases. Sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive treatment generally used to treat dysplastic vasculature and to significantly improve patients’ symptoms. Herein, we describe our preliminary experience with bleomycin electrosclerotherapy (BEST) in the treatment of peripheral low-flow venous and lymphatic malformations in the pediatric population. Methods: We prospectively collected and analyzed data from patients who underwent BEST for peripheral low-flow vascular malformations (venous and lymphatic) and were treated at our institution from May 2022 onward. Results: Twelve patients (4 boys and 8 girls) with peripheral low-flow vascular malformations who underwent BEST were enrolled in this preliminary study. The median patient age at the first procedure was 81 months (IQR = 46–128). The most frequent anomaly was peripheral low-flow venous malformation. No relevant postoperative complications were encountered in any of the patients. All patients underwent a clinical evaluation of the malformation 1 month after the procedure. A clinical and ultrasonographic evaluation of the malformation was performed 2 months after the procedure to determine whether to repeat BEST. In cases of clinical resolution, a second ultrasonographic evaluation was performed 6 months after the procedure. Conclusions: BEST appears to be a promising and safe option for treating peripheral low-flow vascular malformations in children. Further studies with a greater number of patients and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm our preliminary experience.
Keywords: bleomycin; children; vascular malformations; electrochemotherapy; treatment bleomycin; children; vascular malformations; electrochemotherapy; treatment

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Guida, E.; Boscarelli, A.; Zovko, Z.; Peric-Anicic, M.; Iaquinto, M.; Scarpa, M.-G.; Maita, S.; Olenik, D.; Codrich, D.; Schleef, J. Bleomycin Electrosclerotherapy for Peripheral Low-Flow Venous and Lymphatic Malformations in Children: A Monocentric Case Series. Children 2025, 12, 1167. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12091167

AMA Style

Guida E, Boscarelli A, Zovko Z, Peric-Anicic M, Iaquinto M, Scarpa M-G, Maita S, Olenik D, Codrich D, Schleef J. Bleomycin Electrosclerotherapy for Peripheral Low-Flow Venous and Lymphatic Malformations in Children: A Monocentric Case Series. Children. 2025; 12(9):1167. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12091167

Chicago/Turabian Style

Guida, Edoardo, Alessandro Boscarelli, Zeljko Zovko, Matea Peric-Anicic, Marianna Iaquinto, Maria-Grazia Scarpa, Sonia Maita, Damiana Olenik, Daniela Codrich, and Jürgen Schleef. 2025. "Bleomycin Electrosclerotherapy for Peripheral Low-Flow Venous and Lymphatic Malformations in Children: A Monocentric Case Series" Children 12, no. 9: 1167. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12091167

APA Style

Guida, E., Boscarelli, A., Zovko, Z., Peric-Anicic, M., Iaquinto, M., Scarpa, M.-G., Maita, S., Olenik, D., Codrich, D., & Schleef, J. (2025). Bleomycin Electrosclerotherapy for Peripheral Low-Flow Venous and Lymphatic Malformations in Children: A Monocentric Case Series. Children, 12(9), 1167. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12091167

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop