Diagnosis and Management of Infantile Hemangioma: Executive Summary

Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are the most common tumors of childhood. Unlike other tumors, they have the capacity to involute after proliferation, often leading primary care providers to assume they will resolve without intervention or consequence. However, a subset of IHs may be associated with complications, resulting in pain, functional impairment, or permanent disfigurement. As a result, the primary care provider is often called on to decide which lesions should be referred for early consultation with a specialist.This document provides a summary of the guidance contained in the clinical report “Diagnosis and Management of Infantile Hemangioma,” published concurrently in the online version of Pediatrics (Pediatrics. 2015;136[4]:e1060–e1104, available at: www.pediatrics.org/content/136/4/e1060.full). The report is uniquely based on input from the many specialties involved in the treatment of IH. Its purpose is to update the pediatric community about recent discoveries in IH pathogenesis, clinical associations, and treatment and to provide a knowledge base and framework for clinical decision-making in the management of IH.Although many IHs can be observed without treatment, others will clearly benefit from medical or surgical intervention. When complications are likely or the threshold for intervention is uncertain, referral to an experienced specialist or a multidisciplinary vascular anomaly center may be advantageous. It is important for providers of pediatric care to keep abreast of advances in IH management as continued research leads to pathogenesis-directed therapeutic options and as the types of intervention and their use evolve.David H. Darrow, MD, DDS, FAAPArin K. Greene, MD, FAAPAnthony J. Mancini, MD, FAAPAmy J. Nopper, MD, FAAPRichard J. Antaya, MD, FAAP (Dermatology)Bernard Cohen, MD, FAAP (Dermatology)Beth A. Drolet, MD (Dermatology)Aaron Fay, MD (Ophthalmology)Steven J. Fishman, MD, FAAP (Pediatric Surgery)Sheila F. Friedlander, MD, FAAP (Dermatology)Fred E. Ghali, MD, FAAP (Dermatology)Kimberly A. Horii, MD, FAAP (Dermatology)Manish N. Patel, DO (Radiology, Interventional Radiology)Denise W. Metry, MD (Dermatology)Paula E. North, MD (Pediatric Pathology)Teresa M. O, MD (Otolaryngology)Jonathan A. Perkins, DO (Otolaryngology)Michael L. Smith, MD, FAAP (Dermatology)Patricia A. Treadwell, MD, FAAP (Dermatology)Milton Waner, MD (Otolaryngology, Facial Plastic Surgery)Albert C. Yan, MD, FAAP (Dermatology)Bernard A. Cohen, MD, FAAP, ChairpersonRichard J. Antaya, MD, FAAD, FAAPAnna L. Bruckner, MD, FAAPKim Horii, MD, FAAPNanette B. Silverberg, MD, FAAPTeresa S. Wright, MD, FAAPAlbert C. Yan, MD, FAAD, FAAP, Chairperson-ElectMichael L. Smith, MD, FAAP, Ex OfficioSheila F. Friedlander, MD, FAAPLynn Colegrove, MACharles Bower, MD, FAAP, ChairpersonChristina Baldassari, MD, FAAPGerman Paul Digoy, MD, FAAPAndrew Hotaling, MD, FAAPStacey Ishman, MD, MPH, FAAPJohn McClay, MD, FAAPDiego Preciado, MD, PhD, FAAPKristina Rosbe, MD, FAAPScott Schoem, MD, FAAP, Past ChairpersonJeffrey Simons, MD, FAAPSteven Sobol, MD, FAAPDavid Walner, MD, FAAPVivian ThornePeter J. Taub, MD, FAAP, ChairpersonStephen B. Baker, MD, FAAPArin K. Greene, MD, FAAPTimothy W. King, MD, MPH, FAAPDonald R. Mackay, MD, FAAP, Immediate Past ChairpersonDelora L. Mount, MD, FAAP, Chairperson-ElectJordon Philip Steinberg, MD, FAAPMark M. Urata, MD, DDS, FAAP, Vice ChairpersonKathleen Kuk Ozmeral