HJAR Nov/Dec 2021

44 NOV / DEC 2021 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HEALTH COLUMN CHILDREN’S HEALTH VASCULAR ANOMALIES are divided into two main categories: vascular tumors, which include the well-known hemangi- oma, and vascular malformations, which encompass a collection of abnormally connected and growing vessels named by the type of vessels involved. A vascular birthmark can be something as simple as a stork’s bite (skin blush of the nape of the neck) to something extreme- ly complex like a vascular malformation associated with limb overgrowth and a syndrome. A stork’s bite and an angel’s kiss (skin blush of the forehead) are known as nevus simplex or salmon patches. They are probably the most well-known vas- cular anomalies and, at their foundation, are considered a capillary malformation. These vascular stains usually fade as a child gets older and require no interven- tion. Flash pump dye laser therapy is effec- tive if they persist for several years. WHAT IS A HEMANGIOMA? A hemangioma is a benign tumor of small blood vessels and another common vascular anomaly occurring in 5-10% of children. Infantile hemangiomas, as the name implies, occur in infants and have long been thought to resolve on their own without any complications. Often seen as a small red mark at birth, they grow rap- idly for 6-8 months and can take years to “involute” or resolve. Ulceration, bleeding VASCULAR BIRTHMARKS: Vascular birthmarks, medically known as vascular anomalies, are the presentation and development of abnormal blood vessels that people are born with. Most often, these are seen on the skin shortly after birth but can also be deeper and discovered later in life as they grow. Gresham T. Richter, MD Chief of Pediatric Otolaryngology Vascular Anomalies Clinic Arkansas Children’s Hospital Stork’s Bite or Angel’s Kiss … But Is It?