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Vascular Tumors: Infantile Hemangioma

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Evidence-Based Management of Head and Neck Vascular Anomalies

Abstract

Infantile hemangioma (IH), also known as hemangioma of infancy, is the most common soft tissue tumor of childhood. IH demonstrate significant clinical heterogeneity in their presentation, ranging from small self-limiting lesions to bulky tumors that impart significant morbidity. IH can present as superficial, deep, or mixed lesions depending on the depth of soft tissue involvement (Drolet et al, N Engl J Med 341: 173–181, 1999; Haggstrom et al, Pediatrics 117:698–703, 2006). Most lesions are superficial, presenting as bright red papules or plaques which are typically round and involve the superficial dermis, while deep lesions have a more bluish hue; mixed lesions have characteristics of both. The morphological pattern of IH tends to be localized or segmental (Haggstrom et al, Pediatrics 117:698–703, 2006; Chiller et al, Arch Dermatol 138: 1567–1576, 2002). Localized lesions tend to be discrete ovoid or rounded lesions, while segmental lesions, which impart higher risk of complications, tend to involve a broad region and are more geometric in shape.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Graham Strub MD, PhD

  2. Division of Dermatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA

    Robert Sidbury MD

  3. Division of Otolaryngology, Children’s National Health System, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Nancy Bauman MD

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  1. Graham Strub MD, PhD
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  2. Robert Sidbury MD
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  3. Nancy Bauman MD
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Correspondence to Graham Strub MD, PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA

    Jonathan A. Perkins

  2. Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    Karthik Balakrishnan

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Strub, G., Sidbury, R., Bauman, N. (2018). Vascular Tumors: Infantile Hemangioma. In: Perkins, J., Balakrishnan, K. (eds) Evidence-Based Management of Head and Neck Vascular Anomalies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92306-2_6

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