Maintenance of the placental circulation to evaluate and treat an infant with massive head and neck hemangioma.

A maternal ultrasound was obtained because of polyhydramnios at approximately 30 weeks gestation. The study identified a fetus with a large, solid mass involving the neck and left face. Because of the concern for airway obstruction, we sought an alternative to normal delivery or routine cesarean section. At 35.5 weeks gestation the mother underwent deep halothane anesthesia followed by cesarean section. Initially, only the head and neck of the fetus were delivered and a large hemangioma was noted to involve the anterior and left neck and all of the left face to the left eye. While maintaining placental and umbilical cord circulation, the infant was successfully nasotracheally intubated. The umbilical cord was divided and the delivery completed. At 1 week of age the infant underwent partial excision of that portion of the hemangioma overlying the trachea and the left external carotid artery was ligated. The infant was successfully extubated 12 days later. In the first 4 months of life she had three episodes of platelet trapping requiring high-dose systemic steroid therapy. Beginning at 8 months of age she was begun on intralesional injections of a 50/50 solution of triamcinolone and betamethasone with a marked reduction in the size of the lesion. Preservation of the placental circulation during delivery resulted in the avoidance of a potential hypoxic or fatal event. Intermittent intralesional steroid injections appear to have played a role in the marked reduction in the size of this large subcutaneous head and neck hemangioma.