Management of extracranial arteriovenous malformations of the head and neck

Auris Nasus Larynx . 2020 Apr;47(2):181-190. doi: 10.1016/j.anl.2019.11.008. Epub 2019 Dec 18.

Fecha de la publicación: 18/12/2019

Autor: Veronica Fernández-Alvarez (1), Carlos Suárez (2), Remco de Bree (3), Iain J Nixon (4), Antti A Mäkitie (5), Alessandra Rinaldo (6), Jonathan Downer (7), Alfio Ferlito (8)

Palabras clave: Arteriovenous malformation, Congenital vascular anomaly, Hemangioma, High-flow vascular malformation, Superselective embolization

PMID

Affiliations

1Vascular Surgery Department, Hospital Torrecárdenas, Almería, Spain. Electronic address: UO72421@uniovi.es.

2Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias and CIBERONC, ISCIII, Oviedo, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.

3Department of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, UMC Utrecht Cancer Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

4Departments of Surgery and Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, UK.

5Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Research Programme in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Division of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

6University of Udine School of Medicine, Udine, Italy.

7Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Edinburgh University, UK.

8Coordinator of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group, Italy.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to review the outcomes of the different therapies for extracranial head and neck arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). AVMs are high-flow congenital vascular anomalies. They are composed of a complex system of vessels directly connecting feeding arteries to draining veins forming a nidus. They may be potentially life-threatening due to progressive symptoms and infiltrative disease. Extracranial AVMs most commonly affect the head and neck area (47.4%) followed by the extremities (28.5%). AVMs are best characterized as being either focal or diffuse. Focal AVMs have good outcomes following adequate treatment. Diffuse lesions have multiple feeding vessel, which results in high rates of recurrence despite treatment. The management of AVMs includes conventional surgery and endovascular techniques. A combination of embolization and surgical resection has become the treatment of choice over the last years. The main goal of both forms of treatment being the complete blockage or resection of the nidus. Transcatheter embolization of vessels has evolved over the years and new embolic agents have emerged. The types of materials available for embolization are classified into mechanical devices, liquid agents and particulates. Efficacy, rate of recurrence and most common complications were evaluated. AVMs recurrence after embolization or resection is reported in up to 80% of cases. Incomplete resection and embolization can induce aggressive growth of the remaining nidus and the risk of progression is up to 50% within the first 5 years and recurrences can occur up to 10 years later. Although ethanol seems to be associated with the highest degree of cure and permanent occlusion, the overall complication rate reported was 48%. Other materials, such as cyanoacrylate, have obtained modest rates of complete remission, while the reported rates of complete regression of AVMs with Fibrin glue and Polyvinyl alcohol are above 50%. At present, there are no unified agreement on the ideal embolic agent. Therefore, a multidisciplinary approach is recommended to support decision making about the best therapeutic approach and to achieve optimal outcome. A long-term post-treatment follow-up is recommended to recognize early recurrence.