Classification, diagnosis, and treatment of low-flow congenital vascular malformations

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Low-flow congenital vascular malformations (LFVM) encompass a broad spectrum of lesions with an overall prevalence of 1.2% to 1.5%. Two-fourths of these lesions involve the venous system, a similar amount is of lymphatic origin, and the remaining affects the capillaries. This study reviewed the multiple diagnostic methods, treatments, and possible complications related to LFVM. This narrative review included published case series, retrospective and prospective studies, literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. Medline/PubMed databases were queried from 1995 to July 2021 following the 2020 SANRA Guideline. All authors performed study selection, quality assessment, and data extraction independently. Sixty-one articles were included in this study: one case report, eight case series, 35 literature reviews, two systematic reviews, two systematic reviews and meta-analyses, six prospective studies, and seven retrospective studies. These studies provided classification, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of LFVM. LFVMs are rare but essential vascular pathologies. The optimal diagnostic and therapeutic approach require a multidisciplinary group. Ultrasound assessment is the first step in diagnosis and can be complemented by magnetic resonance imaging. Treatment should be aimed at those symptomatic or highly morbid lesions. Sclerotherapy is the preferred option, but multiple surgical approaches can be considered.