Surgical management of solitary venous malformation in the midcheek region

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze a single institution's experience of solitary venous malformation (VM) in the midcheek region. Study design: From 2002 to 2009, a total of 10 consecutive patients with solitary venous malformation in the midcheek region were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical records were reviewed for patient demographic data, presenting symptoms and signs, imaging modalities used, histologic and immunohistochemical results, surgical data, and clinical outcomes. Results: The sample consisted of 5 males and 5 females with a mean age of 42.8 years. The course of disease ranged from 0.5 to 144.0 months with a mean time of 64.9 months. The mean size of the masses was 1.7 × 1.5 cm (range 1.0 × 0.8 cm to 2.5 × 2.5 cm). Investigations included Doppler ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT) scanning. Surgical excision using various surgical approaches was performed in all patients. Postoperative pathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of VM. The mean follow-up period was 41.2 months (range 2 months to 94 months) with no recurrence reported. Conclusions: For solitary VM in the midcheek region, investigations, such as Doppler US or CT scanning or the use of fine-needle aspiration cytology, may aid in clinical diagnosis. The primary treatment of these lesions is surgical excision, and in our sample, the prognosis of such treatment was good with no recurrence reported. © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.