Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study was to assess qualitatively the psychological stressors affecting patients with cutaneous vascular malformations and hemangiomas (CVM-H) and their impact on compliance to interventional treatment.
Methods
A retrospective chart review was conducted of all patients with CVM-H treated by interventional neuroradiology at a single academic institution during a five-year period (2009–2014). Psychological complaints were documented during each clinic visit by a neuroradiologist. Compliance to interventional treatment was defined by adherence to the scheduled treatment sessions. Fisher’s exact test was used to assess for associations between psychological complaints and compliance.
Results
Seventy-five patients were assessed, of whom 49 (65.3%) were female, with an age range of 2–78 years (mean age 30.2 years). All except one patient older than seven years of age (n = 71; 94.6%) had a psychological complaint, including fear of negative appearance (n = 53; 70.6%), dissatisfaction with appearance (n = 46; 61.3%), low self-esteem (n = 35; 46.6%), anxiety (n = 16; 21.3%), stress (n = 13; 17.3%), bullying (n = 5; 6.6%), and low mood (n = 4; 5.3%). Twenty-three (31%) patients were non-compliant. Low self-esteem was significantly associated with non-compliance (p = 0.0381).
Conclusion
There is a high prevalence of psychological comorbidities among patients treated for CVM-H. This has potential implications for interventional treatment, as it was found that low self-esteem is significantly associated with non-compliance. These results suggest the need for early psychological support in these patients in order to maximize compliance to interventional treatment.
Keywords
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