The Efficacy of Absolute Ethanol and Polidocanol in the Treatment of Venous Malformations

Introduction: Using meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of absolute ethanol and polidocanol in the treatment of venous malformations. Materials and Methods: A systematic search of the English literature was conducted in April 2019 including PubMed, Embase and Web of Science. Article selection was based on preset criteria. The included literature was scored on the MINORS scale, and the meta-analysis and the forest plot were made using the R 3.5.1 software for efficiency. Results: Ten articles were included in the meta-analysis. Absolute ethanol response rate ranged between 79% and 92% with a pooled rate of 85%, and polidocanol response rate ranged between 63% and 94% with a pooled rate of 77%. Discussion: Although sclerotherapy is effective in most studies, a large number of randomized controlled trials are still needed to confirm the best treatment options at different sites.