Sclerotherapy with picibanil (OK-432) for congenital lymphatic malformation in the head and neck

Hypothesis/Objectives: Congenital lymphatic malformations of the head and neck (LMHN) present special challenges to the otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon. Recently, a number of sclerotherapy trials have shown promising results. In this study, we present our experiences with picibanil (OK-432) sclerotherapy for this lesion. Study Design: Retrospectively review. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 21 patients who have undergone selerotherapy with picibanil for LMHN. Results: Satisfactory response with complete or nearly complete shrinkage of the lesions was observed in 15 cases after repeated sclerotherapy (average, two times). We did not observe any significant morbidity or complications in the patients treated with picibanil. Reduction in size of the mass was achieved in weeks to months. Some of the patients who had not had any other previous treatment showed remarkable reductions in size even after the first therapy. When we used picibanil sclerotherapy as a primary treatment for the LMHN, most of our patients showed satisfactory results regardless of the size or location of the lesions. Conclusion: Given with our experience and the reports that failure of picibanil sclerotherapy does not hinder subsequent surgical salvage procedures, we recommend trying picibanil sclerotherapy as a primary treatment for the LMHN and performing surgical excision as a secondary modality if the response to the sclerotherapy is not satisfactory.