INTRODUCTION
Infantile hemangiomas (IH) are the most common benign vascular tumors of infancy.1 Prevalence in childhood varies between 1–10%.2 Most IH can be followed without treatment, but treatment may be necessary due to several complications such as feeding and respiratory difficulties, visual disturbance, heart failure, ulceration of the lesion, and bleeding.1
In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical features, treatment modalities, and treatment-related characteristics of IH treated in our hospital.
In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical features, treatment modalities, and treatment-related characteristics of IH treated in our hospital.
METHODS
Patients admitted to Kocaeli University Department of Pediatric Oncology between January 2007 and January 2017 with hemangioma were retrospectively evaluated. The study was approved by the Kocaeli University Clinical Research Ethics Committee. Inclusion criteria were lesions compatible with the definition of IH, under the age of 18 years, treatment was initiated with diagnosis of IH, patients diagnosed and treated at our center, and patients followed up for at least 6 months after discontinuation of treatment.
Exclusion criteria were diagnoses other than IH (including congenital hemangioma), patients with missing information on diagnosis and treatment in their files, and patients who did not complete the 6-month period after the end of treatment.
Treatment indications were presence of one or more of the criteria in category A in Table 1, and when these criteria were unmet, two or more criteria in category B were needed.3-9
We determined 150 IH patients whose records could be reached. 20 patients had no indication for treatment, 3 patients’ diagnoses were changed to congenital hemangioma after clinical reanalysis, and 27 patients were not followed after the first admission. Therefore, the study group consisted of 100 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria. The patients were evaluated in terms of gender, age at which the lesions were recognized, presence of precursor lesion at birth, location, type, size, number, and complications.
The age at which the lesions were detected were grouped as ‘0–1 months’, ‘2–6 months’, and ‘above 6 months’. The term ‘IH’ was used for lesions that came up as a precursor lesion at birth with progressive growth afterwards, while ‘congenital hemangioma’ was used for lesions that completed their proliferation at birth or did not grow further.
Exclusion criteria were diagnoses other than IH (including congenital hemangioma), patients with missing information on diagnosis and treatment in their files, and patients who did not complete the 6-month period after the end of treatment.
Treatment indications were presence of one or more of the criteria in category A in Table 1, and when these criteria were unmet, two or more criteria in category B were needed.3-9
We determined 150 IH patients whose records could be reached. 20 patients had no indication for treatment, 3 patients’ diagnoses were changed to congenital hemangioma after clinical reanalysis, and 27 patients were not followed after the first admission. Therefore, the study group consisted of 100 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria. The patients were evaluated in terms of gender, age at which the lesions were recognized, presence of precursor lesion at birth, location, type, size, number, and complications.
The age at which the lesions were detected were grouped as ‘0–1 months’, ‘2–6 months’, and ‘above 6 months’. The term ‘IH’ was used for lesions that came up as a precursor lesion at birth with progressive growth afterwards, while ‘congenital hemangioma’ was used for lesions that completed their proliferation at birth or did not grow further.
