Hemangioma on the head in children is often present from birth. With such a pathology, five to ten percent of babies are born. Among premature babies, this problem is even more common. Outwardly, the hemangioma resembles a dark red spot of various sizes. In this article, we will talk about the symptoms, causes and treatment of this disease.
Reasons
In some children, a hemangioma on the head does not appear immediately after birth, but during the first year of life. In fact, it is a benign tumor consisting of cells that line the walls of blood vessels. This neoplasm can often resolve on its own, so parents should not worry too much ahead of time.
Doctors have not yet been able to reliably establish what causes hemangioma in children on the head. The reasons for this, apparently, are formed in the embryonic period. Presumably this may be due to improper developmentblood vessels.
Also, the causes of hemangioma in children on the head, according to many doctors, are taking certain medications during pregnancy, past bacterial and respiratory viral infections. Therefore, expectant mothers should carefully monitor what they take, be sure to consult a doctor.
There are other likely factors that can provoke the appearance of neoplasms. For example, they are believed to include maternal exposure to toxic substances, as well as negative environmental conditions.
According to the latest research to date, hormonal imbalances also lead to the appearance of a hemangioma in children on the head, especially if a girl is born.
Views
There are several varieties of this neoplasm. The classification of hemangioma in children on the head is based on its morphological features.
Specialists distinguish three main categories:
- cavernous, or cavernous;
- simple, or capillary;
- mixed, or combined.
The capillary consists of cells that line the inner walls of superficial blood vessels. It usually appears on the scalp of children. Hemangioma in this case is formed no deeper than the epidermal layer. It has a nodular or tuberous-flattened structure and fairly clear boundaries. If you press on it, then the neoplasm turns pale, and then quickly recovers, again acquiringpurplish bluish tint.
Cavernous hemangioma on the head of a child is located directly under the skin. It consists of a large number of cavities that are filled with blood. In newborns, outwardly, such a neoplasm looks like a bluish tubercle, which has an elastic and soft structure. If you press on it, it will become pale and quickly subside, as there will be an outflow of blood from the cavities. When the baby pushes, coughs or endures any other tension associated with an increase in blood pressure, the cavernous hemangioma on the child's head increases in size.
The last variety is combined hemangioma. With a mixed variant, the characteristics inherent in a cavernous and simple tumor are combined. Such a neoplasm includes not only cells of the capillary walls, but also various other tissues - connective, nervous, lymphoid. The combined type has both a subcutaneous and a superficial part. At the same time, it progresses in various forms, such as gemlymphangioma, angioneuroma or angiofibroma.
Signs
When you see a photo of a hemangioma on a child's head, you will see that this is a typical neoplasm, it is difficult to confuse it with anything. The clinical picture is very specific. The diagnosis is made immediately at the appointment with a dermatologist. The appearance of a bulging hemangioma on a child's head depends on its type.
If it is simple, then it is a bluish-burgundy tubercle with a knotty structure and clear edges, similar to a wart.
Cavernous is a subcutaneousbluish swelling. Mixed visually resembles a capillary shape, as it is partially located under the skin.
How to distinguish from a birthmark?
It will be difficult for a non-specialist to independently determine the type of tumor, as well as other defects that may occur on the baby's skin, to understand what it is. Hemangioma in a child can have a different appearance. In some cases, it resembles a birthmark, a large nevus or mole, a wart.
There is one way to distinguish it from other formations. The symptom of hemangioma in children on the head is that if you press on it, it will immediately turn pale, as there will be an outflow of blood. Over time, it will restore its color.
All other skin defects do not change shades when pressed. Another sign of hemangioma is the temperature of the tumor. It will be slightly higher than in other areas.
Complications
Hemangioma often appears on the head of a child from birth. Since this is a benign neoplasm, it almost never leads to dangerous consequences. Most often, it does not increase in size, does not cause any discomfort in newborns, as it is completely painless.
It's only worth worrying if a bulging hemangioma on a child's head begins to grow. True, this happens very rarely. In such a situation, one should be wary of the following consequences of a hemangioma on the child's head:
- suppuration and infection of the tumor;
- bleeding due todamage or injury;
- ulceration of neoplasm;
- violation of the functions of neighboring organic structures and tissues due to squeezing them with a hemangioma;
- death or necrosis of the skin.
Expectant tactics
When a dermatologist diagnoses a baby, it is important what type of neoplasm was installed. If it is a simple form of the disease, it will consist solely of vascular cells. Because of this, such a tumor is not prone to growth. Therefore, in most cases, it is recommended to apply expectant tactics so that the tumor resolves itself.
At the same time, it is necessary to control it in a constant mode. Together with the attending physician, parents should ensure that it does not increase in size or grow slowly, in proportion to the body of the newborn, but in no case faster.
As a rule, capillary hemangioma resolves on its own after some time. This happens as soon as the child grows up a little. It must be understood that the regression will occur gradually. First, in the very center of the tumor, a barely visible pale area will be noticeable, which in color and appearance will be similar to the skin of a normal shade. Gradually, its boundaries will begin to systematically expand, eventually reaching the boundaries of the growth itself.
The neoplasm will decrease in size over several years. In most patients, it completely disappears by the age of three to seven, when the child goes to school.
Radical treatment
With a mixed and cavernous form of pathology, more radical methods are most often resorted to. Opportunity to perform surgical intervention exists from the age of three months.
In exceptional situations, an operation is possible on a newborn who has just been born. There must be good reasons for this. For example, a threat to the life of a child or his subsequent he alth. In this case, the operation can be performed at the fourth or fifth week of the baby's life.
There are several ways to treat hemangioma in children on the head. They differ depending on the size of the neoplasm, the type of disease, the general he alth of the patient, the existing tendencies to its growth and increase. Based on a list of these factors, the doctor chooses one or another type of therapy. It can be cryodestruction, sclerosis, laser removal, electrocoagulation, surgical excision.
Let's talk about each of these types of operations in more detail, so that parents get a full impression of what to expect from a particular surgical intervention.
Sclerosis of hemangioma in newborns is considered the most benign option. However, it requires the implementation of several important procedures, without which it will not be possible to achieve a result. Sclerotherapy is prescribed only if the hemangioma was diagnosed in a child under the age of one year. The operation is performed when the neoplasm is located on the parotid region, mucous membranes. At the same time, its dimensions should be small. This is a prerequisite. If the tumor is large andgrows intensively, the operation is not carried out, as there is a risk of formation of ulcers and scars on the skin, which will remain for life.
Sclerotherapy is carried out in several stages. In the process of preparation, the affected area of the body is treated with alcohol, antiseptic or iodine solution. Then it is important to anesthetize him. To do this, the skin is lubricated with a local anesthetic.
When the drug has worked, the surgeon starts injecting the sclerosant. As the main active ingredients, as a rule, sodium salicylate and alcohol are used in a ratio of 1 to 3, respectively. In some cases, children may be prescribed urethane-quinine, but this happens extremely rarely. This drug has high sclerosing abilities. However, it is very toxic, so it is not used on newborns. Injections are made with the thinnest possible needles, the diameter of which does not exceed half a millimeter. For each manipulation, the doctor performs several injections. Their final number can be set depending on the size of the benign tumor.
The next step in this procedure is inflammation. Under the influence of the drug, the tumor becomes inflamed and begins to thrombose, being replaced by connective tissue. This process takes from one week to ten days, after which the inflammation subsides, and the procedure is repeated again. For complete resorption, it is required to do from three to fifteen times.
Cryodestruction
This technique is almost painless, the operation is fast, but is associated withcertain complications. With this procedure, you can remove a hemangioma only if it is not located on the face.
The doctor acts on the skin with liquid nitrogen, because of this, a characteristic scar or some induration may remain on the skin. It is removed by laser resurfacing in adulthood.
The procedure begins with an antiseptic treatment with iodine or alcohol. The area of skin is then frozen. A jet of liquid nitrogen is injected into the neoplasm, under the influence of which the hemangioma begins to collapse. In this case, a blister with sterile contents may appear in the defect area. This is a standard process for the death of blood vessels. Over time, the blister will decrease in size, and then it will open itself, and a dense crust will appear in this place.
Healing occurs during the rehabilitation phase. The wound should be treated regularly with an antiseptic solution. At this time, the child should swaddle his hands or put on mittens so that he does not break the crusts, which should fall off on their own.
Electrocoagulation
Exposure with current is a fast and effective method of getting rid of a benign tumor. It is important to know that only simple or cutaneous hemangioma is treated with electrocoagulation. To cope with a mixed or cavernous neoplasm, you will have to choose some other method.
The advantage of this type of surgery is the ability to eliminate the tumor as quickly as possible - in just one session. This guarantees rapid healing and minimal risk of wound infection.
Procedure beginsfrom the standard stage of antiseptic skin treatment with iodine or alcohol. Then local anesthesia is performed, and several injections with an anesthetic are made around the place with a hematoma. The removal itself occurs by cauterizing the tumor with an electric current using a metal nozzle that looks like a loop. Depending on the size of the benign formation, the procedure lasts from one to five minutes.
Then it is important to go through the rehabilitation stage, as a wound will form in the affected area, covered with a characteristic crust. It should fall off on its own, so the child will need to swaddle his hands so that he does not rip it off.
Laser correction
This is the safest method that has demonstrated high efficiency in the fight against tumors. Removal of a neoplasm with a laser is carried out at any age (from the first month of a newborn's life). This technology allows you to get a good result from the first session, there is no risk of scarring, and it stops possible relapses.
The mechanism itself is the coagulation and evaporation of blood in the vessels. At the same time, their walls stick together, and the damaged capillaries begin to gradually dissolve.
After antiseptic treatment of the skin, the site of the lesion is anesthetized with an anesthetic. The tumor is irradiated with a laser beam. After the procedure, a bandage with a healing ointment is applied. At the rehabilitation stage, parents should regularly treat the wound with antiseptics, apply healing ointments and creams, and prevent the scabs from breaking off on their own.
Surgical method
Radical surgery is required in rare cases when the tumor has affected the deeper layers of the skin. Before removing a hemangioma, it is recommended to undergo sclerotherapy or other preparatory procedures to minimize the size of the growth.
In anesthesia, general or local anesthesia is used. The surgeon cuts out the hemangioma by excision, and the layer of he althy tissue around it is also eliminated to eliminate the possibility of recurrence. The wound is washed and carefully treated.
A sterile dressing with healing and antibacterial ointment is applied to the damaged area.
The rehabilitation period can last several weeks. If you organize the right care, you can completely avoid scars in the future or they will be almost invisible.
