To investigate the effectiveness and application of transcatheter arterial scleroembolization (TASE) plus vincristine (VCR) in clinical practices for the treatment of corticosteroid resistant vascular tumors associated with Kasabach-Merriitt phenomenon (KMP) in infants.
Methods: TASE was performed in 17 infants with corticosteroid-resistant vascular tumors with KMP, followed by the therapy of VCR once a week for systemic chemotherapy. The effects and complications were observed and then evaluated after a cycle(one cycle: TASE plus every 4-week’s treatment with VCR). The cycle was repeated for the infants with the platelet < 150 × 10⁹/L.
Results: A total of 36 cycles of treatments had been performed successfully for all the 17 patients. The platelet of all the 17 infants increased to ≥100*10⁹/L for the first time at 6.0±3.5 days and the platelet level of 15 infants maintained at higher than 150*10⁹/L at 57.5±16.5 days. Among the 17 infants, two were with normal fibrinogen level before the treatment, while the fibrinogen level in the other 15 infants was firstly found increased to ≥ 2.0g/L at 7.0±3.4 days and stabilized at higher than 2.0 g/L at 55.9±13.8 days after the treatment. No severe complication was found.
Conclusion: TASE plus VCR can rapidly improve the level of platelet and coagulation and exert long-term effects with reversible and acceptable complications.