Pediatric admissions and procedures for lymphatic malformations in the United States: 1997 and 2000.

Objective: To describe the incidence of discharges for lymphatic malformation (LM) and the various treatments rendered for this condition in a nationwide sampling of pediatric discharges from 1997 and 2000.

Data Source: The 1997 and 2000 Kid's Inpatient Database (KID), available through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Data Extraction: The sampling scheme of this database allowed for calculation of national and regional estimates using STATA 8.2.

Data Synthesis: There were an estimated 3200 admissions for the treatment of pediatric LM in 1997 and 2000 combined. These admissions were most common in urban teaching institutions (69% in 1997 and 81% in 2000). The mean age at admission was 3.7 years, while the median was 1 year. The most common procedure performed in these children was surgical excision of the malformation. Over half of these were done in children under age 2. Airway endoscopy was the second most common procedure. Sclerotherapy was infrequently performed. The estimated national hospital charges for these admissions were $26 million in 1997 and $35 million in 2000.

Conclusions: This analysis reveals a national perspective on the total number of pediatric admissions for LM and their associated inpatient procedures. Treatment trends for pediatric LM have remained relatively stable between 1997 and 2000, but hospital charges have increased.