Vascular anomalies are divided into tumours and
malformations. Haemangiomas are the most frequent
amongst the former. Not normally present at birth,
except in a premonitory form, they grow for 10-12
months due to hyperplasia, to subsequently undergo a
progressive involution for a period that might last from
ten to twelve years. They have an incidence of up to
12% in newborns; they are more common amongst
girls; and are divided into superficial, deep and compound.
Congenital haemangiomas and those that do
not undergo involution are considered to be rare entities.
Vascular malformations, with a lower incidence
than haemangiomas, are always present at birth, they
grow by hypertrophy and never undergo involution.
According to the classification of the ISSVA, vascular
malformations are divided - depending on the vessel
affected - into capillary or venular (port-wine stain),
venous, lymphatic, arteriovenous and combined or
complex. Each of these has certain defining clinical and
haemodynamic peculiarities. Within the final group are
included some with a low flow, such as the Klippel-Trenaunay
syndrome (venous and lymphatic venular vascular
malformation associated with the muscularskeletal
hypertrophy of an extremity), and others with
a high flow, such as the Parkes-Weber syndrome
