An 8-year population description from a national treatment centre on lymphatic malformations.
INTRODUCTION
Lymphatic malformations are rare developmental non-malignant abnormalities that present as masses consisting of abnormal growth of fluid filled channels or spaces in the skin or deep tissue that result in abnormalities of lymphatic flow. They may cause symptoms like pain, recurrent lymphorrea, abnormal bone growth, and disturbance of bodily functions. They may also be a cosmetic problem. The study aims to describe the population with lymphatic malformations (LM) treated at a national referral centre.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
This is a retrospective review of patients with the diagnosis lymphatic malformation seen at the centre between 2006-2013. The authors performed a systematic review of the hospital records and a reevaluation of the radiological findings. Eighty-five patients with 102 lymphatic malformations were included.


RESULTS
The majority of the patients (67%) were diagnosed before the age of 2 years. Lesions were located mainly to the head and neck (64%) and half (52%) were macrocystic. Treatment was: sclerotherapy (69%), surgery (49%), laser therapy (19%), or a combination of these treatment modalities (33%). The best outcome was found in the patients with macrocystic lesions (p = .029), and 76% of the patients reported a good or very good outcome.


CONCLUSION
Most patients presented before the age of 2 years with complex lesions which required unique, often multimodal treatment plans and in general they experienced good outcome.
['Eliasson|Jill Josefine|JJ|', 'Weiss|Inanna|I|', 'Høgevold|Hans Erik|HE|', 'Oliver|Nina|N|', 'Andersen|Rune|R|', 'Try|Kirsti|K|', 'Tønseth|Kim Alexander|KA|']
D000328:Adult D000367:Age Factors D002648:Child D002675:Child, Preschool D015331:Cohort Studies D003131:Combined Modality Therapy D005260:Female D005500:Follow-Up Studies D006785:Hospitals, University D006801:Humans D053685:Laser Therapy D044148:Lymphatic Abnormalities D008220:Lymphography D008297:Male D009664:Norway D018579:Patient Selection D012042:Registries D012189:Retrospective Studies D018570:Risk Assessment D015911:Sclerotherapy D012720:Severity of Illness Index D012737:Sex Factors D013997:Time Factors D016896:Treatment Outcome D055815:Young Adult
Lymphatic malformation macrocystic sclerotherapy surgery cystic hygroma liposuction lymphangioma microcystic