A Single-Center Retrospective Study of a Decade-Long Experience in Managing Pediatric Lymphatic Malformation

Background and Objectives: Lymphatic malformation (LM) is an rare disease in children, which can present with variable symptoms based on the size and location, and have various treatment modalities. This study aims to summarize the clinical characteristics and prognosis of LM in different anatomical locations and to evaluate the differences in therapeutic efficacy among various treatment modalities. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on data from 484 children diagnosed with LM at Beijing Children's Hospital between January 2014 and December 2024. Patient demographics, clinical features, treatment strategies, and response to treatment were collected and analyzed. Results: The most common site of involvement was the head and neck region (45.5%). Macrocysts are most common in the pelvic/abdominal cavities, mixed cysts in the head and neck, and microcysts in the limbs and trunk ( p <0.05). The macrocystic type demonstrates the best treatment response to any therapeutic modality ( p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the success rates of surgical treatment and sclerotherapy. Conclusions: Subtype distribution demonstrated distinct anatomic predilections. Surgery and sclerotherapy achieve comparable efficacy. Regardless of the treatment modality, macrocystic LM appeared to have the best therapeutic outcomes.