Hemangioma is a common and frequent disease in children. Hemangiomas in the traditional sense are divided into two categories: hemangiomas and vascular malformations.
Benign tumors cannot be left unchecked
Compared with China's huge population base, the total number of infantile hemangiomas in mainland China is still quite large.
Infantile hemangioma is formed by the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells in the embryonic period, which is commonly found in the skin and soft tissues, and is mostly found at the time of birth or shortly after birth, and is the most common benign tumor in infants and young children, and the incidence rate in girls is higher than that in boys.
At first, parents can observe small red pimples on their child's skin, and many parents think that their child has been bitten by mosquitoes. As the child grows older, the hemangioma will gradually enlarge, and by the time the child is about 1 year old, the hemangioma will stop growing and the color will gradually change from bright red to dark.
A large proportion of infantile hemangiomas that have not undergone treatment may leave traces after regression, such as scarring, sagging skin, and partial pale skin color. Some children may also have complications such as impaired function, ulcers, and tissue damage. The occurrence of these complications is usually related to the age of the child, the location of the tumor, the growth rate of the tumor, and the duration of treatment. Hemangiomas that grow near the airways or in the orbits and eyelids can also affect your child's vision.
Therefore, if the child has a hemangioma, parents should not be optimistic that it is benign, just ignore it, or wait for it to resolve on its own, but take the child to be actively treated.
Vascular malformations should be treated aggressively
The biggest difference between vascular malformations and hemangiomas is that not only does not resolve on their own, but is also in a state of continuous progression, growing as the child grows and develops. Some lesions will gradually darken in color, others will appear nodular hyperplasia, and some severe lesions may be accompanied by the destruction of soft tissues and even bones, resulting in enlargement, deformation or associated syndromes of the affected area.
The most common serious clinical effect is that the thickness of the child's limbs is inconsistent, or even different.
Parents should note that if the child's vascular malformation grows on the face and other parts of the body, the area is large or grows rapidly, and the child needs to be brought to the hospital as soon as possible for active treatment.
How to treat well
Many parents are very concerned about the treatment of cardiovascular tumors, worried that their children will suffer, and they are also worried that the treatment effect will not be good.
If the location of the infantile hemangioma is superficial, timolol eye drops can be applied externally, which is a relatively safe and effective method. However, some hemangiomas with a wide range, deep location, or high-risk positions, such as facial and perineal hemangiomas, should be taken orally at the same time propranolol to inhibit the proliferation of hemangioma tissue and promote its rapid regression. It is reassuring to know that the recurrence rate of infantile hemangioma after cure is low, so parents should have the confidence to adhere to treatment.
At present, there is no specific drug that can inhibit the growth of vascular malformations, and children need to undergo minimally invasive interventional treatment or open surgery. Especially for children with functional impairment at the time of presentation, the goal of interventional or surgical treatment is to block the growth of malformed tissues and restore the normal function of tissues as much as possible. The treatment of vascular malformations is not achieved overnight, and some complex and severe vascular malformations require a relatively long treatment cycle. This requires close cooperation between parents and doctors and active participation in treatment.
Editor: Zhang Tianyi
Source: Healthy China
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