title: Treating kaposiform hemangioendothelioma with Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon by intralesional injection of absolute ethanol.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon (KMP) is characterized by thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, consumptive coagulopathy, and an enlarging vascular lesion. It is a rare and life-threatening disease of vascular tumor. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of absolute ethanol in the treatment of KMP.
  
  
  METHODS
  We treated 8 pediatric patients with KMP by using absolute ethanol injections, whose cases failed previously when applied steroid therapy. We reviewed the clinical and laboratory data of these 8 cases at Nanjing Children's Hospital in China.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight pediatric patients (5 female and 3 male) showed tumor regression after treatments. Core needle biopsy had been performed on the 8 patients, and the results included 7 kaposiform hemangioendotheliomas and one tufted angioma. All patients had an increase in platelet count. All coagulopathies were corrected. Complications included one patient with flush on face, one patient with needle scars, and one patient with a small area of local tissue necrosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Absolute ethanol therapy presents a safe option in the treatment of KMP. Treatment-associated complications seemed to be reversible and acceptable by severity levels. Direct intralesional injection of absolute ethanol provides a simple and reliable alternative treatment for KMP among infants and may be used as the second-line therapy.
authors.affiliation: From the *Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, China; and †Department of Plastic Surgery, Nanjing Children's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Jianbin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jijun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xiaoying
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006390:Hemangioendothelioma / Q000628:therapy*; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015552:Injections, Intralesional; D059885:Kasabach-Merritt Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D010976:Platelet Count; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000628:therapy*; D012597:Sclerosing Solutions / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D012597:Sclerosing Solutions; D000431:Ethanol