Multiple Hemangiomas and Large Cutaneous Hemangiomas of Infancy: Incidence of Hepatic Hemangiomatosis

Hemangioma of infancy is the most common tumor of childhood occurring in 4% to 10% of infants. While most hemangiomas are benign in behavior and involute spontaneously, some can cause significant morbidity due to their location and size. In addition, some hemangiomas may be associated with extracutaneous hemangiomas that result in significant morbidity. Certain "high risk" hemangiomas of infancy, specifically multiple cutaneous hemangiomas or a solitary large hemangioma, have been associated with hepatic hemangiomatosis; however, the exact number or size of the cutaneous lesions at which the risk increases and the protocol for evaluating these patients remain controversial. The true prevalence of hepatic hemangiomatosis is unknown since there have been no large scale prospective studies evaluating clinically asymptomatic patients with cutaneous hemangiomas for the presence of hepatic hemangiomatosis.

One of the primary objectives of this study is to determine the incidence of hepatic hemangiomatosis in patients with hemangiomas of infancy by comparing hepatic ultrasound imaging results of patients with 1-4 cutaneous hemangiomas, 5 or more cutaneous hemangiomas, or at least 1 large hemangioma >30 cm2 versus imaging results in patients without cutaneous hemangiomas. The study will also attempt to identify specific risk factors associated with the development of hepatic hemangiomatosis and to identify associated risk factors in patients with clinically symptomatic hepatic hemangiomatosis.