Clinical features of rapid involuting congenital hemangioma: a prospective study

Rapid involuting congenital hemangiomas (RICHs) are rare benign tumors that occur in infancy. We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the clinical characteristics, complications, requirements for therapeutic intervention, and sequelae in patients with RICHs. Eligible patients were ≤7 days old and had RICH. The primary endpoint was the time of complete involution of RICH. Eighty-six patients were included. The involution of RICH was nonlinear. All RICH patients had signs of involution within 4 weeks of age. The time of greatest involution was between 1.3 months and 2.3 months, with a mean complete involution occurring at 10.1 months. In total, 5.8% of patients experienced complications caused by or possibly related to RICH, and only 1.2% received some form of early treatment during the study period. Severe/significant sequelae was observed in 18.6% of subjects. The location of head-face-neck was the only risk factor that predicted severe/significant sequelae (odds ratio: 4.673; 95% confidence interval: 1.326-16.667; P=0.016). RICH exhibits rapid regression within the first few months of life. Although clinical observation is recommended in patients with RICH, some lesions may leave severe/significant sequelae, especially those involving the head-face-neck area.