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Upper Airway Congenital Vascular Lesions

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Book cover Hemangiomas and Vascular Malformations

Abstract

Both infantile hemangiomas and vascular malformations can involve the upper airway. Each of these lesions has a characteristic anatomical distribution pattern and clinical presentation and any one of them may lead to airway obstruction. Airway infantile hemangiomas, the most common, may be focal or segmental in their distribution. Focal infantile hemangiomas are almost always subglottic, whereas segmental lesions are more diffuse and involve all levels of the upper airway. Up to 60 % of children with mandibular segmental infantile hemangioma will have airway disease, while over 50 % of patients with facial or head and neck vascular malformation will also have airway involvement. This is important to recognize since many patients may remain asymptomatic until their disease progresses and upper airway obstruction develops. We advocate a staged approach to treatment. Treatment of infantile hemangiomas may be medical, laser, or surgical. There is no medical treatment for airway vascular malformations; however, laser, sclerotherapy, and surgical excision are the mainstay of treatment.

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Correspondence to Milton Waner MB, BCh (Wits), FCS (SA), MD .

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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Italia

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O, T., Waner, M. (2015). Upper Airway Congenital Vascular Lesions. In: Mattassi, R., Loose, D., Vaghi, M. (eds) Hemangiomas and Vascular Malformations. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-5673-2_41

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-5673-2_41

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Milano

  • Print ISBN: 978-88-470-5672-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-88-470-5673-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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