David J. Driscoll, MD, a pediatric cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who specializes in treating KT syndrome patients, says patients vary greatly in their ability to be active. KT syndrome has protean manifestations. On the other end of the spectrum are patients who have a huge malformed leg that they can't walk on. When massive blood vessels are in the synovial membrane of the joint, patients can have significant arthritis. Contact sports pose a bleeding risk for patients who have port-wine stains or superficial varicosities, says Driscoll, and those patients are advised to wear protective covering over the area if they participate.
Treatment depends on the patient's symptoms.
Martin and other patients who have lower-extremity swelling wear an elastic stocking to relieve the venous congestion and protect the limb from trauma. Vessey says some patients relieve swelling and discomfort by using an external intermittent pressure pump. Options for patients who have limb hypertrophy are epiphysiodesis, ray resection, or soft-tissue debulking. For those who have venous anomalies, malformations or varicosities can be removed only if the deep venous system is patent. Sclerotherapy can reduce the size of venous malformations, but the procedure can be painful and carries a risk of skin breakdown.