Serial excision of facial hemangiomas.

OBJECTIVE

To present the technique of and indications for serial excision of facial hemangiomas.

METHODS

Clinical review of patients cared for by the senior author (M.H.) in a private-practice specialty center.

RESULTS

Forty-six patients underwent serial excision of facial infantile hemangiomas. The average number of excisions was 3 (range, 2-5), with a mean interoperative period of 4 months (range, 3-7 months). One patient sustained a traumatic dehiscence of the surgical wound, and 6 others had minor wound problems that had no impact on the final result. Two "final" scars underwent surgical revision. All results were ultimately deemed acceptable by the parents and surgeons.

CONCLUSION

Serial excision is a practical and reliable technique for treatment of facial hemangiomas which due to size and location are not feasibly excised and repaired in a single setting without the use of complex adjunctive reconstructive techniques.