Lesion Morphology in Multifocal Infantile Hemangiomas

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Dermatology
• Vascular Anomalies
• Neonatal Care

Background:

• Multifocal infantile hemangiomas (MIHs) can present with extracutaneous involvement.
• Morphologic variations within MIHs may influence clinical presentation and outcomes.
• Understanding these variations is crucial for appropriate patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between different morphologic types of infantile hemangiomas (IHs) in children with MIHs and their clinical course.
• To differentiate between miliary focal hemangiomas (MFHs) and classical nonmiliary focal IHs (NMIHs).
• To identify potential risk factors and clinical associations of MFHs.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 103 infants with MIHs and 261 controls with solitary IHs.
• Classification of hemangiomas into miliary focal (MFH), nonmiliary focal (NMIH), and mixed types.
• Comparison of lesion size, number, age of occurrence, and association with prematurity and extracutaneous hemangiomas.

Main Results:

• Two subtypes identified: MFHs (56.3%) and NMIHs (16.5%), with mixed types in 27.2%.
• MFH lesions were smaller, more numerous, and occurred at a later age compared to NMIHs.
• MFHs showed a weak correlation with extracutaneous IHs and were significantly associated with preterm delivery.

Conclusions:

• Miliary focal hemangiomas represent a distinct subset of IHs with unique clinical characteristics.
• MFHs are associated with prematurity and potentially increased risk of extracutaneous hemangiomas.
• The number of IHs correlates inversely with their size, highlighting differences between MFHs and NMIHs.