How to Treat Hemangioma

A hemangioma is a congenital anomaly that results in a mass of blood vessels resembling a tumor. Hemangiomas can occur anywhere but are most noticeable on the skin and can be treated readily by primary care physicians. The most common site for an internal hemangioma is skeletal muscle, which may cause pain or swelling. The following steps will show how to treat an intramuscular hemangioma.

Instructions

• 1

  Manage mildly symptomatic hemangiomas with activity restriction and non-narcotic analgesics. Embolization can be used to relieve pain from intramuscular hemangiomas.

• 2

  Excise symptomatic intramuscular hemangiomas. This option is usually restricted to hemangiomas contained by a single belly because the excision must be complete for satisfactory long-term results. Hemangiomas almost always recur if they are not completely removed, but this is not always possible. Removing these vascular processes causes a large amount of bleeding even with preoperative embolization. This can be addressed by determining the extent of the tumor with hookwire localization guided with ultrasound. Laser knife excision has also been used.

• 3

  Remove most synovial hemangiomas surgically, usually with an arthroscope. Diffuse lesions also may require radiation therapy if they are sufficiently symptomatic.

• 4

  Consider treatment for osseous hemangiomas only when there are substantial symptoms. They should be differentiated from more aggressive growths and removed surgically if needed. Radiation may be used instead if the hemangioma is surgically inaccessible. An open excision of a bone hemangioma may be needed in rare cases.

• 5

  Use chemotherapy to treat extensive multiple hemangiomas, especially in cases involving life or limb threatening vascularization.