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Golisano Children's Hospital / Vascular Anomalies

Vascular Anomalies

Vascular anomalies refer to a wide range of disorders caused by abnormal growth of blood vessels or lymphatic channels. This broad category may be further divided into vascular tumors, which can be benign or malignant, and vascular malformations.

Vascular Tumors

Vascular tumors include growths such as congenital and infantile hemangiomas, tufted angiomas, and kaposiform hemangioendothelioma. Hemangiomas are the most common vascular tumor occurring in childhood, appearing at or shortly after birth and most shrink over several months. The Department of Dermatology sees the vast majority of patients with skin hemangiomas. Patients with skin hemangiomas should be referred directly to the Department of Dermatology

Vascular Malformations

In contrast, vascular malformations may cause problems at any time in life and are identified according to the abnormal vessel of origin.

The effects of vascular anomalies may be minimal or may affect a patient cosmetically. Depending on the site and complexity of the vascular anomaly, it may cause pain, organ damage, or even life-threatening complications.

Treatment, especially of complex vascular anomalies, may require input from multiple physicians who specialize in the management of these disorders. The appropriate therapy may include medication, laser therapy, surgery, interventional radiology or a combination of these approaches. 

Our multidisciplinary team meets monthly to discuss patients’ cases and determine the best diagnostic and/or management approach. For patient convenience, if patients need to see multiple providers, we will try to coordinate appointments with different specialties on the same day.

Patients may be referred to the appropriate specialist on our team. However, if patients have complex needs or you are unsure which specialties should be involved, please refer them to Dr. Noronha by contacting the Pediatric Hematology / Oncology Office.

Our Team

Our team treats children and adults.