The epidemiological profile of the Vascular Birthmark Clinic at the Alberta Children's Hospital

Background The Vascular Birthmark (VBM) Clinic at the Alberta Children's Hospital (Calgary, Alberta) is a multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to the evaluation of children with vascular anomalies. Objective To review the characteristics of patients seen at the VBM Clinic. Method A retrospective data analysis of all pediatric patients presenting to the VBM Clinic between 1998 and 2009 was performed. Data including demographic, referring, diagnostic and treatment information were obtained from the clinic's database. Results Of 932 patients, 621 with hemangiomas and 311 patients with vascular malformations were found in the database. Hemangiomas were more commonly found in girls (68.5%), and most commonly located on the head and neck (54%), with most patients (72.6%) having only one lesion. Of the patients with hemangiomas, 14.7% underwent diagnostic imaging investigation and 23.7% received treatment including medications, surgery, pulsed-dye laser or dressings. The sex distribution among the 311 patients with vascular malformations was almost equal. Venous malformations accounted for 38.9% of patients, isolated capillary malformations for 31.5%, lymphatic malformations for 11.6%, mixed low-flow malformations for 14.8% and arteriovenous malformations for 2.9%. Overall, 37.9% of patients underwent diagnostic imaging investigation and 42.4% received treatment – either pulsed-dye laser, surgical excision, sclerotherapy or other treatment. Conclusions Hemangiomas and vascular malformations can occur at any anatomical site. There is a large variation in clinical presentation necessitating expertise in a variety of diagnostic approaches and treatment modalities. Vascular anomalies are best managed in a multidisciplinary setting.