Vascular anomalies in children

Vascular anomalies are divided in two major categories: tumours (such as infantile hemangiomas) and malformations. Hemangiomas are common benign neoplasms that undergo a proliferative phase followed by stabilization and eventual spontaneous involution, whereas vascular malformations are rare structural anomalies representing morphogenetic errors of developing blood vessels and lymphatics. It is important to properly diagnose vascular anomalies early in childhood because of their distinct differences in morbidity, prognosis and need for a multidisciplinary management. We discuss a number of characteristic clinical features as clues for early diagnosis and identification of associated syndromes.