Infantile Hemangioma Clinical Presentation

  • Author: Richard J Antaya, MD; Chief Editor: William D James, MD   more...
 
Updated: Jan 11, 2012
 

History

Infantile hemangiomas exhibit a characteristic evolution, with early rapid growth (proliferation) followed by slow involution.[14] The earliest sign of an infantile hemangioma is blanching of the involved skin. This may be followed by fine telangiectasias and then a red or crimson macule. Rarely, a shallow ulceration may be the first sign of an incipient infantile hemangioma.

Rapid growth during the neonatal period (birth to 4 wk) is the historical hallmark of infantile hemangiomas. This rate is characteristically beyond the growth rate of the infant, thereby differentiating this neoplasm from vascular malformations that grow commensurate with the infant. As proliferation ensues, the infantile hemangioma becomes elevated and may be dome shaped, lobulated, plaquelike, tumoral, or any combination of these morphologies.[3, 4] The proliferation phase occurs during the first year, with the most growth occurring during the first 4-6 months of life. Proliferation slows considerably between the middle and end of the first year of life; however, most hemangiomas have completed this phase by age 4 months. During this time, the hemangioma may remain quiescent or may begin to involute.[15]

The involutional phase of an infantile hemangioma may be rapid or prolonged. No specific characteristics appear to influence the rate or completeness of involution of infantile hemangiomas. The exception is a separate type of hemangioma referred to as a rapidly involuting congenital hemangioma (RICH), which proliferates in utero and is fully developed at birth.[16] RICHs tend to completely involute during the second year of life. Congenital hemangiomas are not considered to be a variant of the infantile hemangioma.

Fifty percent of infantile hemangiomas complete involution by age 5 years and 70% by age 7 years; the remainder may take an additional 3-5 years to complete the process.[17] Of lesions that have involuted by age 6 years, 38% have residual evidence with scar formation, telangiectasia, or redundant or anetodermic skin. Infantile hemangiomas that take longer to involute have a higher incidence of permanent cutaneous residua. Eighty percent of infantile hemangiomas that complete involution after age 6 years may exhibit cutaneous residua.[18]

Next

Physical

Eighty percent of infantile hemangiomas are focal and solitary. Sixty percent of cutaneous hemangiomas occur on the head and neck, 25% on the trunk, and 15% on the extremities (see image below). Hemangiomas also can occur in extracutaneous sites, including the liver, gastrointestinal tract, larynx, CNS, pancreas, gall bladder, thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, lung, urinary bladder, and adrenal glands.

This proliferating superficial infantile hemangiomThis proliferating superficial infantile hemangioma on the trunk required no therapy.

Features of early proliferating infantile hemangiomas (birth to age 6 wk) include blanching of the involved skin, followed by fine telangiectasias, and then a red or crimson macule or papule that often is surrounded by a faint halo of vascular blanching. Occasionally, an infantile hemangioma is heralded by a shallow ulceration, especially lip and buttock lesions (see image below).[5]

Exquisitely painful ulcerated mixed hemangioma (suExquisitely painful ulcerated mixed hemangioma (superficial and deep) of the left deltoid in a 6-month-old female infant. This lesion was treated successfully with pulsed dye laser.

As infantile hemangiomas proliferate (birth to age 12 mo), depending on their size and depth, their morphology and texture may be dome shaped, bosselated, plaquelike, tumoral, or any combination of these morphologies.

If the infantile hemangioma is located in the subcutaneous tissue, the overlying skin may be completely normal. Color varies with the depth from the surface and can be bright red or crimson (superficial dermis), purple, blue, or flesh colored with predominant involvement of the deeper tissues. Telangiectases and large superficial veins radiating from the infantile hemangioma often are associated. The consistency is firm, rubbery, and tense and expands with increased intravascular pressure (eg, with crying when on the head and neck). Tenderness to palpation is a variable generally uncommon feature of infantile hemangiomas.

Most infantile hemangiomas reach a maximum size of 0.5-5 cm, but they can range from the size of a pinhead to greater than 20 cm in diameter. Most infantile hemangiomas remain well circumscribed and focal. A minority may be segmental in nature, covering a larger portion of the cutaneous surface. This variant has more superficial than deep involvement, as is seen with extensive facial lesions (see image below).

This superficial and deep infantile hemangioma resThis superficial and deep infantile hemangioma resulted in astigmatism of the left eye, requiring spectacles to correct the refractive error and to prevent amblyopia. Further growth of this hemangioma necessitated a course of oral prednisolone. The hemangioma shrunk rapidly, and the patient's astigmatism decreased such that the spectacles were unnecessary 1 month after beginning steroids.

Another variant is the infantile hemangioma with minimal or arrested growth (IH-MAG). These have been previously referred to as abortive, reticular, or telangiectatic infantile hemangiomas. By definition these IHs have a proliferative component equaling less than 25% of their total surface area. They are mostly flat and may simply present with an erythematous blush of the affected skin.

As its prior name suggests, an abortive or reticular infantile hemangioma often has telangiectasia coursing through it. This variant may be confused with a capillary malformation; however, the growth characteristics and presence of visible telangiectases assist in differentiation. This variant has been seen in association with underlying vascular and other extracutaneous congenital anomalies (PHACE and PELVIS syndromes and with underlying vascular anomalies on an extremity) as well as demonstrating a predilection for the lower body, in contradistinction to classic IHs.[19, 20]

During involution, which may begin as early as a few months from birth or as late as 2-3 years, the infantile hemangioma shrinks centrifugally from the center of the lesion. This is less notable with deeper lesions. The superficial lesions become less red, taking on a duskier maroon-to-purple color, and finally regaining normal flesh tones (often referred to as "graying"). With involution, the infantile hemangiomas become softer and more compressible with decreased tenderness, and they exhibit less expansion during increased intravascular pressure (eg, crying).

During the late involution phase (quiescent residual lesions), the skin may return to normal with no evidence of a previous pathologic process. Approximately 50-60% of all hemangiomas resolve incompletely, leaving permanent changes in the skin. These changes include telangiectases, superficial dilated veins, stippled scarring, anetoderma or epidermal atrophy (particularly with superficial lesions), hypopigmentation, and/or redundant skin with fibrofatty residua (especially with subcutaneous lesions).[18]

Previous
Next

Causes

Neither the cause nor the cell of origin of infantile hemangiomas has been definitively elucidated. Theories abound and several lines of evidence support several divergent theories of the cell of origin, including placental tissue, endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), and mesenchymal stem cells.[21]

A distinct group of tissue-specific markers, including Lewis Y, merosin, and FcγRII, but most notably glucose transporter 1 (GLUT-1), are uniquely coexpressed by hemangiomas and placental microvessels, suggesting a unique relationship between hemangiomas and placental microvessels. Two theories postulated to explain this observation include (1) colonization of receptive mesenchyme by potentially abnormal angioblasts switched toward a placental endothelial phenotype and (2) embolic placental endothelial cells that have reached fetal tissues from chorionic villi through right-to-left shunts.

The placenta and hemangioma share a similar life cycle of robust vascular growth. The placenta produces very high levels of the proangiogenic cytokine, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). As a protective mechanism against uncontrolled angiogenesis in the fetus and mother, a soluble form of the VEGF receptor, sFlt-1, found in both amniotic fluid and maternal serum, is also produced by the placenta. sFlt-1 binds circulating VEGF, preventing excessive angiogenesis in nonplacental tissues. Postpartum, the connection to the placenta and sFlt-1 is removed, abrogating this negative feedback and allowing proliferation of cells, such as those in hemangiomas, responsive to VEGF.[22, 23]

Hemangiomas fail to stain for numerous trophoblastic markers, somewhat discounting the placental embolism theory.[24] Some reports suggest that infants born to mothers who have undergone chorionic villus sampling may be at an increased risk of developing hemangiomas, but this has not been uniformly observed.[25] See Pathophysiology.

An in utero local tissue environment of either hypoxia or acidity appears to influence the subsequent vasculature. Both of these microenvironmental conditions are potent inducers of angiogenesis, leading to increased production of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), which, in turn, causes VEGF gene transcription in association with cytokine-stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1). This appears to stimulate endothelial progenitor cells to proliferate and differentiate into endothelial cells.[26]

Several VEGF receptors (VEGFRs) may play a role in the development of hemangiomas. VEGFR1 on endothelial cells acts as a decoy receptor such that the binding of VEGF to this receptor does not effect a change in the endothelial cell. However, the binding of VEGF to VEGFR2 elicits robust endothelial cell proliferation and migration. Hemangioma endothelial cells exhibit low levels of VEGFR1, with marked constitutive activation of VEGFR2. Gene transcription for VEGFR1 in hemangioma cells is dependent on nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT). This, in turn, is dependent on a pathway involving beta1 integrin, VEGFR2, and integrinlike receptor tumor endothelial marker-8 (TEM8).

Missense mutations in genes encoding for VEGFR2 and TEM8 have been identified in a subset of infantile hemangiomas. These mutations are likely responsible for the constitutive activation of VEGFR2 and resultant hemangioma endothelial cell proliferation. Soluble VEGFR1 or anti-VEGF antibodies normalize the constitutive VEGFR2 signaling. Consequently, these or other similar molecules may be exploited in future hemangioma therapy.[27]

It is believed that infantile hemangiomas may be derived from endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). EPCs are bone marrow-derived CD133 (or AC133) – positive, CD34-positive, and KDR (VEGFR-2)-positive pluripotent cells that demonstrate the ability to develop into Glut-1–positive endothelial cells.[28] A hemangioma model using these cells exhibits growth characteristics typical of an infantile hemangioma, with both proliferating and involuting phases and the development of fibrofatty residua during involution. The endothelial cells in an infantile hemangioma are thought to be primitive endothelial clonal cells that exhibit abnormal behavior.[29]

Two possibly interrelated theories exist regarding the pathogenesis of hemangiomas with regard to the EPCs, intrinsic and extrinsic. The intrinsic theory proposes that EPCs are monoclonal and behave differently from normal endothelial progenitor cells. The extrinsic theory postulates that the EPCs are polyclonal and behave normally and proliferate in response to the surrounding tissue angiogenic and angiostatic factors.[30]

Mesenchymal stem cells may also play a role in the formation of infantile hemangiomas. These cells have been identified in hemangioma tissue.[31] Mesenchymal stem cells retain the capacity to differentiate into numerous mesodermal cells, including adipocytes, suggesting that these cells may be the source of the resultant adipose tissue found in involuted hemangiomas.

Evidence to support a hereditary/genetic component in the development of most infantile hemangiomas is minimal; most appear to be sporadic. However, at least one report described a kindred in which infantile hemangiomas may be the result of an autosomal dominant trait.[32] These infantile hemangiomas were seen in association with an increased incidence of vascular malformations (mostly capillary malformations) in various members of the same family.

Previous
 
 
Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Richard J Antaya, MD  Director of Pediatric Dermatology, Associate Professor, Departments of Dermatology and Pediatrics, Yale University

Richard J Antaya, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Society for Pediatric Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Jean Paul Ortonne, MD  Chair, Department of Dermatology, Professor, Hospital L'Archet, Nice University, France

Jean Paul Ortonne, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology and American Dermatological Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Michael J Wells, MD  Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Paul L Foster School of Medicine

Michael J Wells, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Dermatology, American Medical Association, and Texas Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Van Perry, MD  Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio

Van Perry, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology and American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Joel M Gelfand, MD, MSCE  Medical Director, Clinical Studies Unit, Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Associate Scholar, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania

Joel M Gelfand, MD, MSCE is a member of the following medical societies: Society for Investigative Dermatology

Disclosure: AMGEN Consulting fee Consulting; AMGEN Grant/research funds Investigator; Genentech Grant/research funds investigator; Centocor Consulting fee Consulting; Abbott Grant/research funds investigator; Abbott Consulting fee Consulting; Novartis investigator; Pfizer Grant/research funds investigator; Celgene Consulting fee DMC Chair; NIAMS and NHLBI Grant/research funds investigator

Chief Editor

William D James, MD  Paul R Gross Professor of Dermatology, Vice-Chairman, Residency Program Director, Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

William D James, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology and Society for Investigative Dermatology

Disclosure: Elsevier Royalty Other

References
  1. Takahashi K, Mulliken JB, Kozakewich HP, Rogers RA, Folkman J, Ezekowitz RA. Cellular markers that distinguish the phases of hemangioma during infancy and childhood. J Clin Invest. Jun 1994;93(6):2357-64. [Medline].

  2. Ritter MR, Reinisch J, Friedlander SF, Friedlander M. Myeloid cells in infantile hemangioma. Am J Pathol. Feb 2006;168(2):621-8. [Medline].

  3. Jacobs AH. Strawberry hemangiomas; the natural history of the untreated lesion. Calif Med. Jan 1957;86(1):8-10. [Medline].

  4. Pratt AG. Birthmarks in infants. AMA Arch Derm Syphilol. Mar 1953;67(3):302-5. [Medline].

  5. Hidano A, Nakajima S. Earliest features of the strawberry mark in the newborn. Br J Dermatol. Aug 1972;87(2):138-44. [Medline].

  6. Amir J, Metzker A, Krikler R, Reisner SH. Strawberry hemangioma in preterm infants. Pediatr Dermatol. Sep 1986;3(4):331-2. [Medline].

  7. Haggstrom AN, Drolet BA, Baselga E, et al. Prospective study of infantile hemangiomas: demographic, prenatal, and perinatal characteristics. J Pediatr. Mar 2007;150(3):291-4. [Medline].

  8. Enjolras O, Wassef M, Mazoyer E, et al. Infants with Kasabach-Merritt syndrome do not have "true" hemangiomas. J Pediatr. Apr 1997;130(4):631-40. [Medline].

  9. Sarkar M, Mulliken JB, Kozakewich HP, Robertson RL, Burrows PE. Thrombocytopenic coagulopathy (Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon) is associated with Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma and not with common infantile hemangioma. Plast Reconstr Surg. Nov 1997;100(6):1377-86. [Medline].

  10. Thomson HG, Lanigan M. The Cyrano nose: a clinical review of hemangiomas of the nasal tip. Plast Reconstr Surg. Feb 1979;63(2):155-60. [Medline].

  11. Frieden IJ, Reese V, Cohen D. PHACE syndrome. The association of posterior fossa brain malformations, hemangiomas, arterial anomalies, coarctation of the aorta and cardiac defects, and eye abnormalities. Arch Dermatol. Mar 1996;132(3):307-11. [Medline].

  12. Girard C, Bigorre M, Guillot B, Bessis D. PELVIS Syndrome. Arch Dermatol. Jul 2006;142(7):884-8. [Medline].

  13. [Best Evidence] [Guideline] Metry D, Heyer G, Hess C, Garzon M, Haggstrom A, Frommelt P, et al. Consensus Statement on Diagnostic Criteria for PHACE Syndrome. Pediatrics. Nov 2009;124(5):1447-56. [Medline].

  14. Lister WA. The natural history of strawberry naevi. Lancet. 1938;1:1429.

  15. Waner M, Suen JY. The natural history of hemangiomas. In: Hemangiomas and Vascular Malformations of the Head and Neck. 1999:13-45.

  16. Boon LM, Enjolras O, Mulliken JB. Congenital hemangioma: evidence of accelerated involution. J Pediatr. Mar 1996;128(3):329-35. [Medline].

  17. Bowers RE, Graham EA, Tomlinson KM. The natural history of the strawberry nevus. Arch Dermatol. 1960;82:667.

  18. Finn MC, Glowacki J, Mulliken JB. Congenital vascular lesions: clinical application of a new classification. J Pediatr Surg. Dec 1983;18(6):894-900. [Medline].

  19. Mulliken JB, Marler JJ, Burrows PE, Kozakewich HP. Reticular infantile hemangioma of the limb can be associated with ventral-caudal anomalies, refractory ulceration, and cardiac overload. Pediatr Dermatol. Jul-Aug 2007;24(4):356-62. [Medline].

  20. Suh KY, Frieden IJ. Infantile hemangiomas with minimal or arrested growth: a retrospective case series. Arch Dermatol. Sep 2010;146(9):971-6. [Medline].

  21. Bischoff J. Progenitor cells in infantile hemangioma. J Craniofac Surg. Mar 2009;20 Suppl 1:695-7. [Medline].

  22. Banks RE, Forbes MA, Searles J, et al. Evidence for the existence of a novel pregnancy-associated soluble variant of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, Flt-1. Mol Hum Reprod. Apr 1998;4(4):377-86. [Medline].

  23. Hornig C, Barleon B, Ahmad S, Vuorela P, Ahmed A, Weich HA. Release and complex formation of soluble VEGFR-1 from endothelial cells and biological fluids. Lab Invest. Apr 2000;80(4):443-54. [Medline].

  24. Bree AF, Siegfried E, Sotelo-Avila C, Nahass G. Infantile hemangiomas: speculation on placental trophoblastic origin. Arch Dermatol. May 2001;137(5):573-7. [Medline].

  25. Burton BK, Schulz CJ, Angle B, Burd LI. An increased incidence of haemangiomas in infants born following chorionic villus sampling (CVS). Prenat Diagn. Mar 1995;15(3):209-14. [Medline].

  26. Kleinman ME, Greives MR, Churgin SS, et al. Hypoxia-induced mediators of stem/progenitor cell trafficking are increased in children with hemangioma. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. Dec 2007;27(12):2664-70. [Medline].

  27. Jinnin M, Medici D, Park L, et al. Suppressed NFAT-dependent VEGFR1 expression and constitutive VEGFR2 signaling in infantile hemangioma. Nat Med. Nov 2008;14(11):1236-46. [Medline].

  28. Khan ZA, Boscolo E, Picard A, et al. Multipotential stem cells recapitulate human infantile hemangioma in immunodeficient mice. J Clin Invest. Jul 2008;118(7):2592-9. [Medline].

  29. Yu Y, Flint AF, Mulliken JB, Wu JK, Bischoff J. Endothelial progenitor cells in infantile hemangioma. Blood. Feb 15 2004;103(4):1373-5. [Medline].

  30. Mulliken JB. Update on vascular anomalies. In: Proceedings of the international workshop on vascular anomalies. Boston, Mass: June 21-24, 2008.

  31. Yu Y, Fuhr J, Boye E, et al. Mesenchymal stem cells and adipogenesis in hemangioma involution. Stem Cells. Jun 2006;24(6):1605-12. [Medline].

  32. Blei F, Walter J, Orlow SJ, Marchuk DA. Familial segregation of hemangiomas and vascular malformations as an autosomal dominant trait. Arch Dermatol. Jun 1998;134(6):718-22. [Medline].

  33. Zhang L, Lin X, Wang W, et al. Circulating level of vascular endothelial growth factor in differentiating hemangioma from vascular malformation patients. Plast Reconstr Surg. Jul 2005;116(1):200-4. [Medline].

  34. Zhang L, Lin XX, Qi ZL, et al. [Role of urinary basic fibroblast growth factor in differentiating hemangiomas from vascular malformation]. Zhonghua Wai Ke Za Zhi. Feb 1 2006;44(3):186-8. [Medline].

  35. North PE, Waner M, Mizeracki A, et al. A unique microvascular phenotype shared by juvenile hemangiomas and human placenta. Arch Dermatol. May 2001;137(5):559-70. [Medline].

  36. Dubois J, Patriquin HB, Garel L, et al. Soft-tissue hemangiomas in infants and children: diagnosis using Doppler sonography. AJR Am J Roentgenol. Jul 1998;171(1):247-52. [Medline].

  37. Mulliken JB, Glowacki J. Hemangiomas and vascular malformations in infants and children: a classification based on endothelial characteristics. Plast Reconstr Surg. Mar 1982;69(3):412-22. [Medline].

  38. Nakayama H. Clinical and histological studies of the classification and the natural course of the strawberry mark. J Dermatol. Aug 1981;8(4):277-91. [Medline].

  39. Margileth AM, Museles M. Cutaneous hemangiomas in children. Diagnosis and conservative management. JAMA. Nov 1 1965;194(5):523-6. [Medline].

  40. Frieden IJ, Eichenfield LF, Esterly NB, Geronemus R, Mallory SB. Guidelines of care for hemangiomas of infancy. American Academy of Dermatology Guidelines/Outcomes Committee. J Am Acad Dermatol. Oct 1997;37(4):631-7. [Medline].

  41. Price CJ, Lattouf C, Baum B, McLeod M, Schachner LA, Duarte AM, et al. Propranolol vs Corticosteroids for Infantile Hemangiomas: A Multicenter Retrospective Analysis. Arch Dermatol. Dec 2011;147(12):1371-6. [Medline].

  42. Leaute-Labreze C, Dumas de la Roque E, Hubiche T, Boralevi F, Thambo JB, Taieb A. Propranolol for severe hemangiomas of infancy. N Engl J Med. Jun 12 2008;358(24):2649-51. [Medline].

  43. Siegfried EC, Keenan WJ, Al-Jureidini S. More on propranolol for hemangiomas of infancy. N Engl J Med. Dec 25 2008;359(26):2846; author reply 2846-7. [Medline].

  44. Saint-Jean M, Léauté-Labrèze C, Mazereeuw-Hautier J, et al. Propranolol for treatment of ulcerated infantile hemangiomas. J Am Acad Dermatol. May 2011;64(5):827-32. [Medline].

  45. Hermans DJ, van Beynum IM, Schultze Kool LJ, van de Kerkhof PC, Wijnen MH, van der Vleuten CJ. Propranolol, a very promising treatment for ulceration in infantile hemangiomas: A study of 20 cases with matched historical controls. J Am Acad Dermatol. May 2011;64(5):833-8. [Medline].

  46. Kim HJ, Colombo M, Frieden IJ. Ulcerated hemangiomas: clinical characteristics and response to therapy. J Am Acad Dermatol. Jun 2001;44(6):962-72. [Medline].

  47. Garden JM, Bakus AD, Paller AS. Treatment of cutaneous hemangiomas by the flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser: prospective analysis. J Pediatr. Apr 1992;120(4 Pt 1):555-60. [Medline].

  48. Poetke M, Philipp C, Berlien HP. Flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser for hemangiomas in infancy: treatment of superficial vs mixed hemangiomas. Arch Dermatol. May 2000;136(5):628-32. [Medline].

  49. Morelli JG, Tan OT, Yohn JJ, Weston WL. Treatment of ulcerated hemangiomas infancy. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Oct 1994;148(10):1104-5. [Medline].

  50. David LR, Malek MM, Argenta LC. Efficacy of pulse dye laser therapy for the treatment of ulcerated haemangiomas: a review of 78 patients. Br J Plast Surg. Jun 2003;56(4):317-27. [Medline].

  51. Sie KC, McGill T, Healy GB. Subglottic hemangioma: ten years' experience with the carbon dioxide laser. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. Mar 1994;103(3):167-72. [Medline].

  52. Burstein FD, Simms C, Cohen SR, Williams JK, Paschal M. Intralesional laser therapy of extensive hemangiomas in 100 consecutive pediatric patients. Ann Plast Surg. Feb 2000;44(2):188-94. [Medline].

  53. Laubach HJ, Anderson RR, Luger T, Manstein D. Fractional photothermolysis for involuted infantile hemangioma. Arch Dermatol. Jul 2009;145(7):748-50. [Medline].

  54. Achauer BM, Chang CJ, Vander Kam VM. Management of hemangioma of infancy: review of 245 patients. Plast Reconstr Surg. Apr 1997;99(5):1301-8. [Medline].

  55. Greenberger S, Boscolo E, Adini I, Mulliken JB, Bischoff J. Corticosteroid suppression of VEGF-A in infantile hemangioma-derived stem cells. N Engl J Med. Mar 18 2010;362(11):1005-13. [Medline].

  56. Sadan N, Wolach B. Treatment of hemangiomas of infants with high doses of prednisone. J Pediatr. Jan 1996;128(1):141-6. [Medline].

  57. Pope E, Chakkittakandiyil A. Topical timolol gel for infantile hemangiomas: a pilot study. Arch Dermatol. May 2010;146(5):564-5. [Medline].

  58. Khunger N, Pahwa M. Dramatic response to topical timolol lotion of a large hemifacial infantile haemangioma associated with PHACE syndrome. Br J Dermatol. Apr 2011;164(4):886-8. [Medline].

  59. Bigorre M, Van Kien AK, Valette H. Beta-blocking agent for treatment of infantile hemangioma. Plast Reconstr Surg. Jun 2009;123(6):195e-6e. [Medline].

  60. Truong MT, Chang KW, Berk DR, Heerema-McKenney A, Bruckner AL. Propranolol for the treatment of a life-threatening subglottic and mediastinal infantile hemangioma. J Pediatr. Feb 2010;156(2):335-8. [Medline].

  61. Fuchsmann C, Quintal MC, Giguere C, et al. Propranolol as first-line treatment of head and neck hemangiomas. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. May 2011;137(5):471-8. [Medline].

  62. Sommers Smith SK, Smith DM. Beta blockade induces apoptosis in cultured capillary endothelial cells. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim. May 2002;38(5):298-304. [Medline].

  63. [Guideline] Lawley LP, Siegfried E, Todd JL. Propranolol treatment for hemangioma of infancy: risks and recommendations. Pediatr Dermatol. Sep-Oct 2009;26(5):610-4. [Medline].

  64. Tamayo L, Ortiz DM, Orozco-Covarrubias L, et al. Therapeutic efficacy of interferon alfa-2b in infants with life-threatening giant hemangiomas. Arch Dermatol. Dec 1997;133(12):1567-71. [Medline].

  65. Ezekowitz RA, Mulliken JB, Folkman J. Interferon alfa-2a therapy for life-threatening hemangiomas of infancy. N Engl J Med. May 28 1992;326(22):1456-63. [Medline].

  66. Ricketts RR, Hatley RM, Corden BJ, Sabio H, Howell CG. Interferon-alpha-2a for the treatment of complex hemangiomas of infancy and childhood. Ann Surg. Jun 1994;219(6):605-12; discussion 612-4. [Medline].

  67. Barlow CF, Priebe CJ, Mulliken JB, et al. Spastic diplegia as a complication of interferon Alfa-2a treatment of hemangiomas of infancy. J Pediatr. Mar 1998;132(3 Pt 1):527-30. [Medline].

  68. Dubois J, Hershon L, Carmant L, Belanger S, Leclerc JM, David M. Toxicity profile of interferon alfa-2b in children: A prospective evaluation. J Pediatr. Dec 1999;135(6):782-5. [Medline].

  69. Michaud AP, Bauman NM, Burke DK, Manaligod JM, Smith RJ. Spastic diplegia and other motor disturbances in infants receiving interferon-alpha. Laryngoscope. Jul 2004;114(7):1231-6. [Medline].

  70. Welsh O, Olazaran Z, Gomez M, Salas J, Berman B. Treatment of infantile hemangiomas with short-term application of imiquimod 5% cream. J Am Acad Dermatol. Oct 2004;51(4):639-42. [Medline].

  71. Hazen PG, Carney JF, Engstrom CW, Turgeon KL, Reep MD, Tanphaichitr A. Proliferating hemangioma of infancy: successful treatment with topical 5% imiquimod cream. Pediatr Dermatol. May-Jun 2005;22(3):254-6. [Medline].

  72. [Best Evidence] McCuaig CC, Dubois J, Powell J, Belleville C, David M, Rousseau E. A phase II, open-label study of the efficacy and safety of imiquimod in the treatment of superficial and mixed infantile hemangioma. Pediatr Dermatol. Mar-Apr 2009;26(2):203-12. [Medline].

  73. Maguiness SM, Hoffman WY, McCalmont TH, Frieden IJ. Early white discoloration of infantile hemangioma: a sign of impending ulceration. Arch Dermatol. Nov 2010;146(11):1235-9. [Medline].

  74. Connelly EA, Viera M, Price C, Waner M. Segmental hemangioma of infancy complicated by life-threatening arterial bleed. Pediatr Dermatol. Jul-Aug 2009;26(4):469-72. [Medline].

  75. Metz BJ, Rubenstein MC, Levy ML, Metry DW. Response of ulcerated perineal hemangiomas of infancy to becaplermin gel, a recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor. Arch Dermatol. Jul 2004;140(7):867-70. [Medline].

  76. Kaplan M, Paller AS. Clinical pearl: use of self-adhesive, compressive wraps in the treatment of limb hemangiomas. J Am Acad Dermatol. Jan 1995;32(1):117-8. [Medline].

  77. Orlow SJ, Isakoff MS, Blei F. Increased risk of symptomatic hemangiomas of the airway in association with cutaneous hemangiomas in a "beard" distribution. J Pediatr. Oct 1997;131(4):643-6. [Medline].

  78. Ceisler EJ, Santos L, Blei F. Periocular hemangiomas: what every physician should know. Pediatr Dermatol. Jan-Feb 2004;21(1):1-9. [Medline].

  79. Esterly NB. Kasabach-Merritt syndrome in infants. J Am Acad Dermatol. Apr 1983;8(4):504-13. [Medline].

  80. Ersoy S, Mancini AJ. Hemifacial infantile hemangioma with intracranial extension: a rare entity. Pediatr Dermatol. Jul-Aug 2005;22(4):309-13. [Medline].

  81. Huang SA, Tu HM, Harney JW, et al. Severe hypothyroidism caused by type 3 iodothyronine deiodinase in infantile hemangiomas. N Engl J Med. Jul 20 2000;343(3):185-9. [Medline].

  82. Konrad D, Ellis G, Perlman K. Spontaneous regression of severe acquired infantile hypothyroidism associated with multiple liver hemangiomas. Pediatrics. Dec 2003;112(6 Pt 1):1424-6. [Medline].

  83. Ho J, Kendrick V, Dewey D, Pacaud D. New insight into the pathophysiology of severe hypothyroidism in an infant with multiple hepatic hemangiomas. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. May 2005;18(5):511-4. [Medline].

  84. Tanner JL, Dechert MP, Frieden IJ. Growing up with a facial hemangioma: parent and child coping and adaptation. Pediatrics. Mar 1998;101(3 Pt 1):446-52. [Medline].

Previous
Next
 
Histopathology of a proliferating infantile hemangioma with plump endothelial cells in the dermis.
This proliferating superficial infantile hemangioma on the trunk required no therapy.
Exquisitely painful ulcerated mixed hemangioma (superficial and deep) of the left deltoid in a 6-month-old female infant. This lesion was treated successfully with pulsed dye laser.
This superficial and deep infantile hemangioma resulted in astigmatism of the left eye, requiring spectacles to correct the refractive error and to prevent amblyopia. Further growth of this hemangioma necessitated a course of oral prednisolone. The hemangioma shrunk rapidly, and the patient's astigmatism decreased such that the spectacles were unnecessary 1 month after beginning steroids.
Segmental infantile hemangioma in a female infant with PHACE syndrome involving the posterior neck and right forehead associated with an absent right vertebral artery and a laryngeal hemangioma.
Segmental infantile hemangioma with minimal or arrested growth of the bilateral buttocks and posterior thigh in this male infant with PELVIS syndrome (complicated by cutaneous ulceration, hypospadias, anal stenosis, intraspinal lipoma with tethered cord). The white material is a barrier diaper cream.
 
 
 
All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2012 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

DISCLAIMER: The content of this Website is not influenced by sponsors. The site is designed primarily for use by qualified physicians and other medical professionals. The information contained herein should NOT be used as a substitute for the advice of an appropriately qualified and licensed physician or other health care provider. The information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only. In no way should it be considered as offering medical advice. Please check with a physician if you suspect you are ill.