ArticlePlastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open2025
Pilot Study: Endoscopic-assisted Plasma Radiofrequency Ablation: A Minimally Invasive Strategy for Extremity Lymphatic Malformations.
Article in Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Lymphatic malformations (LMs) of the extremities present a therapeutic challenge due to their diffuse infiltration of subcutaneous and deep fascial compartments, often complicated by previous treatment failures and high recurrence rates. Methods: We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and safety of a novel minimally invasive technique, endoscopic-assisted plasma radiofrequency ablation (EPRA), in managing complex extremity LMs. Between November 2024 and April 2025, 5 patients with recurrent, multilayered LMs involving the thigh, knee, or calf underwent EPRA under general anesthesia. Magnetic resonance imaging and multidisciplinary evaluation confirmed preoperative diagnosis and lesion mapping. The procedure used small incisions for endoscopic access, continuous saline irrigation for hydrodissection, and bipolar radiofrequency ablation to selectively coagulate aberrant lymphatic vessels under direct visualization. Results: All cases were completed without conversion to open surgery, with a mean operative time of 60 minutes. No major complications were observed, and transient postoperative edema resolved spontaneously within 1 week. At short-term follow-up, patients demonstrated functional preservation and satisfactory cosmetic outcomes, with no evidence of early recurrence. Conclusions: The EPRA technique offers a promising therapeutic alternative that combines the precision of endoscopy with the targeted energy delivery of radiofrequency ablation, thereby minimizing collateral damage and reducing the risks associated with conventional sclerotherapy or open resection. This initial experience supports the feasibility and safety of EPRA for extremity LMs, particularly in anatomically complex or treatment-refractory cases, and provides a foundation for future studies with expanded patient cohorts and long-term outcomes.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.