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Updated: Oct 9 2017

Infantile Hemangioma

Snapshot
  • PhotoA new mom brings her 4-month-old girl to the pediatrician’s office for a new red spot. She noticed a faint red spot around 1 week of age on the left cheek. Since then, it has progressed into a bigger and brighter red birth mark. It does not appear to bother the child. Physical exam reveals a 3-cm bright red and sharply demarcated raised plaque on the left cheek. The pediatrician counsels that these lesions typically resolve spontaneously, but they can consider topical β-blockers.
Introduction
  • Clinical definition
    • infantile hemangiomas are benign vascular tumors that occur in infancy
      • also known as strawberry hemangioma
        • appears in newborn period
        • spontaneously resolves by 5-8 years old
      • distinct from
        • vascular malformations
          • e.g., port-wine stain
        • cherry hemangioma
          • benign capillary hemangioma in adulthood that does not spontaneously resolve
  • Epidemiology
    • incidence
      • the most common tumor of infancy
    • demographics
      • females > males
    • location
      • head and neck
    • risk factors
      • low birth weight
      • preterm infants
      • multiple gestation babies
  • Pathogenesis
    • capillary hemangiomas are benign endothelial neoplasms with two phases
      • the proliferative phase is characterized by rapid growth and increase in the number of endothelial and mast cells
        • a stimulus for blood vessel proliferation
      • the involutional phase is characterized by regression of the lesion and decrease in the number of mast cells
    • hypoxia may be the initiating factor in the development of hemangiomas
  • Prognosis
    • infantile hemangiomas often appear in the first few weeks of life
      • these proliferate for 6-12 months and regress over months to years
Presentation
  • Symptoms
    • appears within the first few weeks of life
  • Physical exam
    • two presentations
      • raised and bright red papule, nodule, or plaque
      • raised and flesh-colored nodule with a blue or dark hue
        • may have central telangiectasias
    • sharply demarcated
    • typically unilateral
    • commonly on the face and neck
Imaging
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
    • indications
      • used to delineate the location of the lesion
      • to determine the extent of the hemangioma
    • modality
      • with and without gadolinium
  • Ultrasound of liver
    • indications
      • if patient has 5 or more cutaneous hemangiomas
      • to evaluate for hepatic hemangiomas
Studies
  • Biopsy
    • indication
      • if malignancy is suspected or needs to be ruled out
  • Histology
    • proliferation of endothelial cells
  • Making the diagnosis
    • most cases are clinically diagnosed
Differential 
  • Port-wine stain
  • Pyogenic granuloma
Treatment
  • Treatment and management is highly individualized based on the size of lesion, morphology, location, and age
  • Conservative
    • observation
      • indication
        • first-line since most lesions will spontaneously resolve
  • Medical
    • β-blockers
      • topical
        • indications
          • small capillary hemangiomas
          • primarily for cosmetic reasons or at the parents’ request
        • drugs
          • topical propranolol or timolol
      • systemic
        • indications
          • larger hemangiomas that are deemed to be at risk for future scarring
          • hemangiomas that can cause functional impairment, such as periocular hemangiomas
          • hemangiomas with ulceration
        • drugs
          • propranolol
    • corticosteroids
      • topical or intralesional
        • indication
          • small capillary hemangiomas that ulcerate
      • systemic
        • indication
          • same as for systemic β-blockers and if β-blockers are contraindicated
  • Procedural
    • pulsed dye laser
      • indication
        • hemangiomas with ulcerations or telangiectasias
Complications
  • Functional impairment
    • if hemangioma occurs on or near eyelids
Question
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