Electrosclerotherapy for Capillary Malformations

Summary

Capillary malformations (port-wine stains) consist of abnormally developed capillary blood vessels in the skin. To date, laser therapy is the only widely accepted treatment modality for capillary malformations, but this therapy has a suboptimal effect in approximately 50-60% of patients. Intralesional bleomycin injections (sclerotherapy) are a common effective treatment option for vascular malformations with blood vessels with larger diameters. However, bleomycin cannot be injected adequately in the small sized vessels of capillary malformations. The use of an electric field over the tissue (electroporation) may solve this problem: it increases cell membrane permeability and therefore promotes localized delivery of drugs, within (endothelial) cells. Electroporation in combination with bleomycin sclerotherapy ('electrosclerotherapy') may therefore offer new therapeutic options for capillary malformations. This proof of principle study aims to explore the effectiveness, safety and feasibility of this potential treatment option in a within-patient-controlled pilot study.

Timeline

Start

2016-11

Primary completion

2018-01

Completion

2018-03

Publications

• Horbach SER, Wolkerstorfer A, Jolink F, Bloemen PR, van der Horst CMAM. Electrosclerotherapy as a Novel Treatment Option for Hypertrophic Capillary Malformations: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial. Dermatol Surg. 2020 Apr;46(4):491-498. doi: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000002191.
• Horbach SER, Wolkerstorfer A, de Bruin DM, Jansen SM, van der Horst CMAM. Electrosclerotherapy for capillary malformations: study protocol for a randomised within-patient controlled pilot trial. BMJ Open. 2017 Nov 14;7(11):e016401. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016401.

Drugs

Indications