Summary
Purpose
Hemangiomas are the most common benign tumor of infancy, affecting females more than
males. Lip hemangiomas are of particular concern because of their relatively increased
risk to ulcerate during the proliferative period. Ulcerated hemangiomas of the lip
can lead to increased scarring, loss of lip contour, and disfigurement. Most will
require surgical correction to restore normal labial anatomy.
Methods
A retrospective chart review between 2004 and 2010 for surgically treated lip hemangiomas
was performed. Demographic data, location of the hemangioma, age at operation, and
number of operations were recorded. Two independent observers evaluated lip appearance
post-operatively using 5-point scales to examine scar, symmetry, contour, and color,
with 5 being excellent and 1 being poor.
Results
Between 2004 and 2010, eleven patients underwent surgical correction. Ten of the eleven
were female. 18% (2/11) were ulcerated. One third (4/11) was in the upper lip and
two-thirds (7/11) were in the lower lip. The mean age of the patients at the time
of operation was 3.6 years (range, 14 months to 17 years). The average number of operations
per patient was 1.6 (range, 1–3). The average scores for lip appearance after surgical
correction ranged between 3.95 (good) for lip contour to 4.5 (good to excellent) for
color.
Conclusions
Lip hemangiomas often require surgical correction. Treatment goals include restoration
of normal lip contour and strategic placement of the incision. By taking advantage
of the natural involution that occurs and careful planning, procedures can be staged
to minimize distortion of the lip. Even lip hemangiomas that cross the vermilio-cutaneous
(VC) junction can be excised and lip contour achieved without the need to extend scars
beyond the VC junction.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 21, 2011
Accepted:
August 19,
2011
Received:
May 1,
2011
Footnotes
☆Presented at the 2nd World Congress for Plastic Surgeons of Chinese Descent, Taiwan, October 2010.
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Published by Elsevier Inc.
