Efficacy of Percutaneous Ethanol Injection for Benign Neck Cyst

Received January 18, 2016 Revised March 22, 2016 Accepted March 22, 2016 Address for correspondence Jong Chul Hong, MD, PhD Department of OtolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery, Dong-A University College of Medicine, 26 Daesingongwon-ro, Seo-gu, Busan 49201, Korea Tel +82-51-240-5428 Fax +82-51-253-0712 E-mail santa@dau.ac.kr Background and ObjectivesZZAdvantages of percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) were represented by insignificant mortality, minimal damage to normal parenchyma, relatively low cost and easy availability. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of ethanol ablation as a minimally invasive management of cystic lesions in the neck or arising from the neck. Subjects and MethodZZBetween August 2010 and December 2015, 28 patients with cystic lesions in the neck were diagnosed and treated with percutaneous ethanol injection. We evaluated the outcome of treatment using the alteration of volume reduction and the improvement of symptomatic and cosmetic complaints and complications. ResultsZZThe initial mean tumor volume was 21 mL (range, 1.6-36.9 mL), as shown by ultrasonography. The mean number of the treatment sessions was 3.5 (range, 1-9 sessions). At the last follow-up, the mean volume of the treated neck cyst decreased significantly from 21 mL to 2.7 mL (p<0.001). The average volume reduction rate was 82.4% with the success rate of procedure of 82%. The mean symptoms and cosmetics visual analog scale improved from 5.4 to 2.4 and from 4.8 to 1.5 (p<0.001). No significant complications were observed during follow-ups. ConclusionZZPEI is simple, easy, safe, and effective without surgical scars and hospitalization for neck cyst patients and favorable outcomes can be achieved without significant complications. It can be used as a substitute for surgery in the treatment of benign neck cyst lesions. Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg 2016;59(6):448-52