Neonatal Hemangiomatosis: Understanding Benign Vascular Tumors in Newborns

Benign neonatal hemangiomatosis is a syndrome that affects many newborns and infants. Hemangiomas are the most common tumors in infants, occurring especially in premature infants. Benign neonatal hemangiomatosis is the term used to refer to multiple vascular tumors that occur in blood vessels in the skin.

Identification

• Most hemangiomas occur during the first month after an infant is born, appearing as a pale mark that grows rapidly for six to 10 months, with most involuting and going away by age 7 to 10.

Complications

• Benign neonatal hemangiomatosis with many facial tumors sometimes involve abnormalities in brain structure. Deep or mixed type benign hemangiomas that don't completely involute can leave scars or wrinkles.

Diagnosis and Treatment

• Benign neonatal hemangiomatosis usually doesn't cause complications, but CT scans or magnetic resonance imaging may be needed when there are many facial tumors to make sure the brain or other organs are not involved. Hemangiomas that don't fade or which leave scars may be treated with lasers.