Complex hemangiomas of infants and children. Individualized management in 22 cases
T. R. Weber, R. H. Connors, T. F. Tracy Jr and P. V. Bailey
Department of Surgery, St Louis University School of Medicine, MO.
Large hemangiomas in infants and children are rare but can be
life-threatening if they involve vital structures or produce
thrombocytopenia or congestive heart failure. During a 6-year period, 22
infants and children, aged newborn to 7 years, were treated for complex,
symptomatic hemangiomas. The lesions were located in the liver in seven,
face or parotid gland in five, neck in four, extremity in two, and
mediastinum, chest wall-spinal cord, trachea, and retroperitoneum in one
patient each. The diagnosis was suggested by physical examination in all
patients and was confirmed by radiologic examination in most patients. The
treatment was individualized, usually progressed from less to more
invasive, and included observation, prednisone therapy, arterial ligation,
and resection. All children were eventually cured, with minimal morbidity.
Children with life-threatening hemangiomas can be successfully managed with
the use of a variety of techniques.
