The spontaneous involution of cutaneous vascular tumors

• Published in: The American journal of surgery Vol. 86; no. 4; pp. 376 - 386
• Main Author: Ronchese, F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.10.1953
• Subjects: Hemangioma; Humans; OldMedline; Skin Neoplasms; Vascular Neoplasms; SKIN/neoplasms; ANGIOMA
• ISSN: 0002-9610; 1879-1883
• DOI: 10.1016/0002-9610(53)90450-4

For the last five years several cases of vascular tumors (mainly infantile strawberry and cavernous hemangiomas) which had vanished without therapy were observed and the literature on the subject perused. It is difficult to form an exact idea of the percentage of such occurrences because of the prevailing opinion, especially among radiologists and surgeons, that it is unwise or dangerous to leave hemangiomas untreated. There is also parental unwillingness to wait for three or four years for spontaneous involution. Consequently, the great majority of such patients receive treatment in one form or another. To repeat Traub's words of nineteen years ago, “the obvious confusion existing in the minds of most physicians in regard to the proper disposition of vascular nevi” is still with us. I do not advocate expectant therapy for all cases; however, being convinced that a large majority do involute spontaneously, I am in favor of no therapy in selected cases in which the lesions are located in covered body areas or may be easily removed surgically at a later date in the event spontaneous involution does not materialize. Treatment usually is indicated in exposed parts if the hemangioma is small because there are easy, quick and safe methods, or if it is large because it may be “the exceptional one” which will not vanish and later therapy will be more difficult. As with the use of radium, I believe expectant therapy has its place and should be given due consideration.