Clinical profile and morphologic types of infantile hemangioma. A study of 252 children

Abstract

Background Hemangiomas are the most common benign tumours of infancy which canaffect skin as well as internal viscera. Superficial hemangiomas may show clinical diversityin sites of involvement, number, age of onset, morphology etc.Objective The objective of present study was to record the clinical profile and morphologictypes of infantile hemangiomas.Patients and methods 252 children presenting with cutaneous hemangioma during a periodof two years from January, 2003 to December, 2004 were included in the study. Theirdemographic characteristics, the clinical morphology, sites of involvement and complicationswere recorded.Results A total of 315 lesions were observed in 252 children. Median age of presentation was6.8 months and females outnumbered males with 2.7:1 ratio. 69.2% lesions were confined tohead and neck region. Localized type of lesions (83.2%) were the most frequent presentationthan segmental (15.6%) or multifocal (1.2%), usually presenting as nodules or plaques. Therate of extracutaneous hemangiomas, systemic complications or developmental anomalieswas significantly low.Conclusion Localized hemangiomas are a common occurrence during infancy and systemiccomplications usually do not arise.