Hemangiomas: many should not be operated on

Hemangioma is a common benign tumor in pediatrics. About 3/4 of pediatric hemangiomas are present at birth, and the rest appear within 1 year of age, and are more common in female than male infants. Hemangiomas are usually found on the skin of face and limbs, which affects the beauty and can cause bacterial infection due to trauma, friction and scratching. Some hemangiomas grow quickly and then slowly, and may even disappear on their own. Parents should closely observe the growth of infant hemangioma, take good care of it at home, and get the best time for treatment. There are five common types of pediatric hemangiomas as follows: 1. Orange spots, which are found after birth, are of different sizes, orange-red or light red, not higher than the surface of the skin, receding when lightly pressed, and deepening when crying. Orange spots are mostly found on the forehead, upper eyelids and occipital area, and generally fade within a few months after birth, so there is no need to deal with them. 2. Erythema nodosum, also known as wine-colored spots. They are light red or dark red patches that do not fade when pressed and are not higher than the skin surface, located in the dermis and composed of capillary network. After birth, erythema nodosum grows proportionally with the growth of the body, but the scope no longer expands. Erythema nevosum cannot fade away by itself. Apart from affecting the beauty, erythema nevus is generally harmless and can be treated by freezing if necessary. 3.Capillary hemangioma is mostly found on the skin, with the occipital area, head and face, extremities and back being the most common, and many of them grow on the lips and tongue. The size of capillary hemangioma varies, large ones can occupy a large part of the face or limbs, while small ones are only a few millimeters and slightly higher than the skin. Capillary hemangioma is usually present after birth and grows rapidly within 6 months and gradually stops growing after one or two years of age. Parents should pay close attention to it as it affects the beauty and risks haemorrhage when broken. If the hemangioma is small, grows slowly, and is not in an exposed area, it can fade away on its own after it stops growing. If the growth rate of hemangioma is faster and it seriously affects the beauty, it should be treated immediately, such as by isotope dressing. 4.Cavernous hemangioma can occur in skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle, and even liver and kidney. They are soft and elastic, shrink when squeezed, and recover when the pressure is removed. This kind of hemangioma increases with the age of infants, and sometimes grows very large and deep, seriously damaging the appearance and normal tissues. Once diagnosed, treatment should be carried out immediately by injection of sclerosing agent or surgical removal. 5.Tracheal hemangioma Most often seen in the extremities, there are many dendritic and dilated blood vessels on the surface and around, which are tortuous and trapezoidal, and the local skin is dark red or blue-purple. For this kind of hemangioma, surgery should be performed as soon as possible, or the limb can be wrapped with elastic bandage to relieve the symptoms such as soreness and pain. Surgical resection therapy is suitable for hemangiomas that are limited, not in the exposed parts of the body, and have no tendency to rest or subside but grow rapidly, especially for strawberry hemangiomas and some mixed hemangiomas. Some authors advocate early surgery. In cases of giant hemangiomas with coagulation disorders, caution should be exercised to prevent excessive bleeding and timely blood volume replacement. The recurrence rate is related to the type of hemangioma selected for resection. Strawberry hemangioma has a low recurrence rate after surgery, followed by mixed hemangioma, and cavernous hemangioma has the highest recurrence rate after surgery. Thorough hemostasis and complete removal of hemangioma tissue is the key to success. To achieve this, the surgery must pay attention to the following points: 1. The edge of the incision should be at least 0.5 cm from the edge of the hemangioma tissue; 2. For hemangiomas that invade subcutaneous tissue, avoid cutting the affected skin too deeply, otherwise the hemangioma tissue will be cut, bleeding more and affecting the exposure; 3. After cutting the skin, the hemangioma tissue should be pushed from the surrounding area to its base. After cutting the skin, we should push from the periphery of the hemangioma tissue to its base and clamp the edges of the hemangioma to enter the nutrient vessels, and avoid operating on the hemangioma tissue; 4. The author has performed segmental suture for a 12-year-old child with a huge diffuse hemangioma of the right upper extremity, and the appearance of the affected extremity and the healthy extremity were similar 3 years after surgery.