A hemangioma is a type of birthmark. It is the most common benign (non-cancerous) tumor of the skin. Hemangiomas may be present at birth (faint red mark) or may appear in the first months after birth. A hemangioma is also known as a port wine stain, strawberry hemangioma, and salmon patch.

What is a vascular malformation?

A vascular malformation is another type of birthmark, or congenital (present at birth) growth, made up of arteries, veins, capillaries, or lymphatic vessels.

There are several different types of malformations and they are named according to which type of blood vessel is predominantly affected. A vascular malformation is also known as lymphangioma, arteriovenous malformations, and vascular gigantism.

What is the difference between a hemangioma and a vascular malformation?

Most hemangiomas are not usually present at birth or are very faint red marks. Shortly after birth, however, they grow rapidly – often faster than the child’s growth. Over time, they become smaller (involute) and lighter in color. The process of involution may take several years.
Vascular malformations are present at birth and enlarge proportionately with the growth of the child. They do not involute spontaneously and may become more apparent as the child grows.

What causes hemangiomas and vascular malformations?

The cause for hemangiomas and vascular malformations is usually sporadic (occurs by chance). However, they can also be inherited in a family as an autosomal dominant trait.

Autosomal dominant means that one gene is necessary to express the condition, and the gene is passed from parent to child with a 50/50 risk for each pregnancy.

Males and females are equally affected and there is great variability in expression of the gene. In other words, a parent may unknowingly have had a hemangioma because it faded, but the child is more severely affected. The family may not come to the attention of a geneticist until the birth of the child with a more severe condition. Other relatives with mild expression of the gene are often discovered at that time, confirming autosomal dominant inheritance.

Hemangiomas and vascular malformations are a manifestation of many different genetic syndromes that have a variety of inheritance patterns and chances for reoccurrence, depending on the specific syndrome present.
Hemangiomas are present in 1 to 2 percent of newborns and up to 10 percent of Caucasian infants in the first year of life. Overall, females are more often affected than males.

What should I do if my child has a hemangioma or vascular malformation?

Treatment for hemangiomas

Treatment for hemangiomas depends upon their size, location, and severity. Treatment is usually not recommended for small, non-invasive hemangiomas, since they will become smaller (involute) on their own.

However, hemangiomas that cause bleeding problems, feeding or breathing difficulties, growth disturbances, or impairment of vision may require medical or surgical intervention.

Treatment may include the following:
• steroid medications
• embolization of the blood vessels (injection of material into the blood vessels to block the blood inflow)
• laser or surgical removal

Treatment for vascular malformations

Treatment for vascular malformations depends upon the type of the malformation. Each type of malformation is treated differently.

Arterial malformations are often treated by embolization (blood flow into malformation is blocked by injecting material near the lesion).

Venous malformations are usually treated by direct injection of a sclerosing (clotting) medication which causes clotting of the channels.

Most often, a combination of these various treatments is used for effective management of the lesion.

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