< Vascular Anomalies - Conditions

Hemangiomas

What is a hemangioma?

Hemangioma is a benign tumor occurring at birth. It is a bundle of blood vessels, typically on the skin, but it can also be in internal organs. They are separated into two categories, infantile or congenital. Infantile hemangiomas are the most common, growing quickly for the first six months of life. After pausing growth at about six to 10 months, the hemangioma involutes (shrinks) at about a year. Infantile hemangiomas occur in approximately one in 10 children and are the most common vascular anomaly treated at the Vascular Anomalies Center of Excellence. Congenital hemangioma is its maximal size at birth. It may go away quickly, take time to go away or never go away.

Your care team at Arkansas Children’s is experienced in treating hemangiomas, and will work with you to create the best treatment plan for your child. There are two types of hemangiomas.

Infantile hemangiomas have a natural life cycle of growth from birth to 8 months to 1 year of life, followed by gradual involution or regression over several years.

Of the Infantile hemangiomas, there are the following:

  • Superficial Infantile hemangiomas are the most common and appear on the surface of the skin
  • Deep Infantile hemangiomas grow deeper inside the skin.
  • Mixed Infantile hemangiomas grow deep in the skin, but some of the hemangioma also appear on the skin’s surface.

Arkansas Children's was the first to discover and report that infantile hemangiomas have the same molecular markers as placental stem cells, suggesting a possible cause for their development. During pathology testing, these tumors are uniquely stained for "GLUT1," a finding that originated from this research.

Congenital hemangiomas are classified into three types, all of which are present at birth and are at their maximum size:

  • Non-involuting congenital hemangioma: This type does not resolve on its own.
  • Rapidly involuting congenital hemangioma: This type shrinks quickly during the first year of life.
  • Partially involuting congenital hemangioma: This type partially resolves but does not fully disappear.

Additionally, it is important to note that 30% of congenital hemangiomas are associated with pain.

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