Female Pelvic Vascular Malformations

Management of congenital urogenital and perineal vascular malformations: correlation of clinical findings with diagnostic imaging for treatment decision

PURPOSE

Analysis of clinical and diagnostic findings in rare urogenital and perineal vascular malformations only occurring in 2-3 % of vascular anomalies with regard to clinical symptoms and treatment decisions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All 25 out of 537 patients presenting with congenital urogenital and perineal vascular malformations at our institution from 2014 to 2021 were included. Vascular anomaly classification, anatomical location, clinical symptoms at presentation, diagnostic imaging, and pain intensity were retrospectively assessed from the patient record and therapy management was evaluated.

RESULTS

In total, 25 patients (10 females (40 %), 15 males (60 %)), aged 6 to 77 years were included. Diagnoses were: 10 (40 %) venous malformations (VMs), 5 (20 %) lymphatic malformations (LMs) and 10 (40 %) arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Malformation manifestations were: 12 (32 %) lesser pelvis, 12 (32 %) external genitalia, and 13 (34 %) perineal/gluteal region. One AVM was located in the kidney. The leading clinical symptom was pain. The mean intensity was 6.0/10 for LM, 5.7/10 for VM, and 4.5/10 for AVM. Further major symptoms included physical impairment, local swelling, and skin discoloration. Bleeding complications or sexual dysfunction were rare findings. Patients with VM reported significantly more symptoms than patients with AVM (p = 0.0129). In 13 patients (52 %) minimally invasive therapy was indicated: 10 (77 %) sclerotherapies and 3 (23 %) transcatheter embolization procedures. Complete symptomatic remission was achieved in 9 (69 %) patients, partial response in 3 (23 %) patients, and 1 patient showed no clinical response to therapy. Follow-up appointments without the need for immediate minimally invasive therapy were significantly more common in patients with AVMs than in patients with VMs (p = 0.0198).

CONCLUSION

To create a higher awareness of congenital urogenital and perineal vascular malformations. Awareness of this rare condition avoids misdiagnosis. Therapy decisions should be symptom-oriented. Emergency intervention is rarely required, even in fast-flow vascular malformations.

KEY POINTS

· Venous malformations cause more symptoms with higher pain intensity than arteriovenous malformations.. · Diagnosis and adequate treatment can be hampered by a lack of awareness of the clinical presentation.. · Bleeding complications are rare, even in high-flow vascular malformations.. · Pain and physical impairment are the most commonly observed symptoms in these patients..

Surgical Resection of Vulvar Labial Venous Malformations: A Single Center Experience

BACKGROUND

Venous malformations (VMs) involving the vulva are rare but often cause debilitating pain, aesthetic concern, and functional impairment. Treatment with medical therapy, sclerotherapy, operative resection, or a combination thereof may be considered. The optimal therapeutic approach remains unclear. We report our experience resecting labial VMs in a large cohort of patients.

METHODS

A retrospective review of patients who underwent partial or complete resection of a labial VM was conducted.

RESULTS

Thirty-one patients underwent forty-three resections of vulvar VMs between 1998 and 2022. Physical examination and imaging demonstrated: 16% of patients had focal labial lesions, 6% had multifocal labial lesions, and 77% had extensive labial lesions. Indications for intervention included pain (83%), appearance (21%), functional impairment (17%), bleeding (10%), and cellulitis (7%). Sixty-one percent of patients underwent a single resection, 13% multiple partial resections, and 26% a combination of sclerotherapy and operative resection(s). Median age was 16.3 years at first operation. All patients requiring multiple operations had extensive VMs. Median blood loss was 200 mL. Postoperative complications included wound infection/dehiscence (14%), hematoma (2%), and urinary tract infection (2%). The median follow-up assessment was 14 months: 88% of patients had no complaints and 3 patients were experiencing recurrent discomfort.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgical resection is a safe and effective approach to treating vulvar labial VMs. Patients with focal or multifocal VMs can be successfully treated with a single resection, whereas patients with an extensive VM may require multiple partial resections or combined sclerotherapy and resection(s) to achieve long-term control.

TYPE OF STUDY

Retrospective Study.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

Pelvic arteriovenous malformation (AVM) with recurrent hematuria: A case report

INTRODUCTION

Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) leads to a direct connection between arterial and venous networks, in which capillary branches are not involved. Pelvic AVM is a benign and rare condition causing severe pain, hematuria, and rectal or vaginal bleeding.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 36-year-old woman presented with five months history of hematuria. Her medical history was unremarkable, and laboratory findings were all within normal ranges. Abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a vascular mass in the left lateral pelvis that extended to the bladder neck and was suggestive of an AVM. The patient underwent a laparotomy for the resection of AVM. The first angiography revealed an AVM in the left internal iliac artery. The patient underwent embolization with coil and gel foam. The second angiography revealed complete obstruction of the left internal iliac artery due to multiple coils and AVM of the right internal iliac artery (RIIA), embolized with glue and lipiodol. A week later, venography revealed another left iliac vein malformation embolized with foam sclerotherapy. Forty days later, the third angiography revealed another AVM in the right iliac artery, embolized with three vials of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Following two months of follow-up, the symptoms did not return.

DISCUSSION

The present study reported a rare case of recurrent pelvic AVM causing painless hematuria in a female patient. The lesion was treated with several angioembolization sessions.

CONCLUSION

Angioembolization is one of the main therapeutic options for AVM. Appropriate material should be precisely chosen for AVM embolization regarding the AVM's location, size, and condition.

Pelvic Lymphovascular Malformation Presenting as a Vulvar Mass in an Adolescent Female

BACKGROUND

Lymphovascular malformations (LVMs) uncommonly present outside the head and neck region as slow-growing nontender masses. Given their rarity, LVMs are not regularly on the differential for genitopelvic masses. These anomalies are not usually dangerous due to their slow progression and distance from vital structures. Recognition of benign LVMs is important to appropriately counsel regarding treatment options and follow-up.

CASE

We describe an occurrence of an extensive pelvic LVM in an adolescent female presenting as a persistent, increasingly uncomfortable growing vulvar mass, highlighting the importance of keeping this diagnosis in mind when dealing with unusual genital masses.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

A multidisciplinary approach including consultation with an interventional radiologist and pediatric hematologist is paramount in providing timely care when dealing with a rare diagnosis.

A Vulvar Venous Malformation in a 14-Year-Old Adolescent

A vulvar venous malformation is a rare condition that can be misdiagnosed as vulvar varicose veins, but they are not the same entity. We describe the case of a 14-year-old nulliparous girl who presented with pelvic discomfort and limited ambulation secondary to a small, purple vulvar mass. The diagnosis was confirmed with the use of invasive imaging techniques after initial conservative management. Clinicians should consider venous malformations in the differential diagnosis of vulvar swelling in adolescents, and an earlier use of phlebography in patients with discordance between workup and symptoms to ensure a prompt diagnosis and decreased patient morbidity.

Reliability of the application of transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound in the identification of pelvic tumors in women of childbearing age

Background

Recently, transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound (TVCDU) has been widely used in the diagnosis of pelvic tumors. This study aimed to assess the reliability of the application of TVCDU in the identification of pelvic tumors in women of childbearing age.

Methods

The clinical data of 209 patients with pelvic tumors at childbearing age admitted to our hospital from January 2016 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The ultrasound signs, color Doppler ultrasound score (CDUS), and resistance index (RI) of benign and malignant pelvic tumors diagnosed by TVCDU were analyzed. The value of transabdominal color Doppler ultrasound (TACDU) and TVCDU in the diagnosis of benign and malignant pelvic tumors was calculated.

Results

There were 150 cases with benign pelvic tumors and 59 cases with malignant tumors. Most benign tumors had an intact capsule and regular shape, were mainly cystic, and were rarely accompanied by ascites; meanwhile, malignant tumors were mostly non-capsular and irregular in shape, mainly solid or cystic, and were often accompanied by ascites. There were significant differences in the above-mentioned ultrasound signs between benign and malignant tumors (P<0.05). The CDUS score of benign pelvic tumors was significantly lower than that of malignant tumors, and the RI value was significantly higher than that of the malignant tumors (P<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of TACDU in the diagnosis of benign pelvic and malignant tumors were 83.33%, 84.75%, and 83.73%, respectively; and the sensitivity, specificity, and the accuracy of TVCDU in the diagnosis of benign pelvic and malignant tumors were 95.33%, 88.14%, and 93.30%, respectively; thus TVCDU had a superior performance compared to TACDU, especially in sensitivity and accuracy (P<0.05).

Conclusions

The sensitivity and accuracy of TVCDU in the differential diagnosis of benign pelvic and malignant tumors in women at childbearing age were significantly higher than those of TACDU. The combined application of CDUS and RI can further improve the accuracy in the diagnosis of pelvic tumors.

Surgical treatment of vulvar venous malformations without preoperative sclerotherapy: Outcomes of 18 patients

BACKGROUND

Our aim was to evaluate the benefit of surgical resection of the venous malformations (VMs) of the external female genitalia.

METHODS

Over the period of 2009-2019, 18 consecutive females underwent surgical resection for vulvar VM. Evaluations included preoperative Doppler ultrasound, MRI, and pre-and postoperative photographic imaging. The main outcomes were: residual pain, cosmetic distortion, residual VM, and quality of life.

RESULTS

Over a 10 year periods, 18 females, mean age 35 years (range 9-71) were included in this study. All patients were symptomatic: 16 had intermittent pain or discomfort, 1 had bleeding and 2 requested cosmetic treatment. Of these cases, there were 5 isolated vulvar VM, 12 associated VM: 3 of the clitoral hood, 3 troncular pelvic vein insufficiency and 12 of the lower limb. Eight patients had undergone previous procedures: 2 sclerotherapy treatments (1-3 sessions), 4 partial surgical resections. There were 18 single resections in the vulva (7 focal, 11 complete), 2 partial resections in clitoral hood and 2 had resection of a VM in the perirtoneovaginal canal at the same time. The mean follow-up was 42. 9 months (range 6-120). Two patients were lost to followup at 6 months. For all patients, elimination of pain and soft tissue redundancy was achieved. Two patients had persistent discomfort and 2 requested cosmetic treatment.

CONCLUSION

Surgical resection of vulvar VM can be the best approach with few postoperative complications, good functional and cosmetic results. Appropriate preoperative evaluation is required to identify isolated VM or VM associated with ovarian vein or internal iliac vein insufficiency requiring to be treated before surgery.