Infantile haemangiomas; a review on treatment modalities

Abstract

Background: Infantile haemangioma is the most common benign vascular tumor in children. They are more common in females and in infants born prematurely. Haemangiomas are mostly found on the head and neck regions (60 %), and are classified according to their depth. Most common complication is ulceration which affects nearly 15 -25 % of patients. Diagnosis is mainly based on history and physical examination but a colour Doppler ultrasonography along with an MRI can be further performed. Conclusion: While most of the haemangiomas do not require any medical or surgical treatment, those who do, can be treated with laser therapy, surgical therapy or drug therapy with the latter mostly used to reduce morbidity, mortality and to treat complications.