Effects of Hyaluronic Acid on Stability of Bleomycin Foam

Effects of Hyaluronic Acid on Stability of Bleomycin Foam: BACKGROUND

Bleomycin (BLM) foam sclerotherapy is effective in the treatment of venous malformations (VMs). Foam stability is influenced by factors such as sclerosant concentration, viscosity, and liquid–gas ratio.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether hyaluronic acid (HA) could increase the stability of BLM foam and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of HA—BLM foam.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Experiment: BLM 6.0 IU + human serum albumin (HSA, 2, 1.95, 1.90, and 1.85 mL, respectively) + 1% HA (0, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15 mL, respectively) + air 6 mL to create foam using the Tessari method. The foam half-life (FHL) was used to evaluate foam stability. Clinical study: Twenty-eight patients with head and neck VMs were enrolled between June 2018 and August 2019 treated by HA-BLM foam to evaluate the safety and efficacy.

RESULTS

The FHL of the BLM foam was 8.46, 8.95, 10.45, and 14.51 minutes, respectively. All patients achieved significant efficacy, and no obvious side effects were observed.

CONCLUSION

Addition of HA could improve the stability of BLM foam.