Vascular Anomalies

Edward I. Lee, MD

It is my privilege to be the guest editor for this issue of Seminars in Plastic Surgery dedicated to the topic of vascular anomalies. Vascular anomalies are challenging manifestations from all aspects of management. Although a proper classification system is now in place, the overlapping clinical and imaging findings combined with the persistence of older terminology continues to confuse both patients and clinicians alike. Although there is extensive debate over optimal methods of managing these anomalies, it is universally accepted that efficacious treatment requires an assorted number of medical specialists working in concert to implement comprehensive, multidisciplinary care.

We at Texas Children's Hospital are fortunate to have a multidisciplinary team, and I have asked my team colleagues in various medical specialties to contribute to this issue of Seminars. The articles presented can be divided into two sections. The first section includes a series providing a general overview of vascular anomalies, including vascular tumors (Drs. Sepulveda and Buchanan) and vascular malformations (Drs. Cox, Bartlett, and Lee), as well as a review of genetics and syndromes (Drs. Killion, Mohan, and Lee) and radiographic findings (Dr. Masand) associated with vascular anomalies.

The second section chronicles more-specific topics in vascular anomalies. These include articles discussing the use of chemotherapeutic and immunomodulatory agents for treatment of vascular anomalies (Drs. Margolin, Soni, and Pimpalwar), the current use of β-blockers for treatment of infantile hemangioma (Drs. Nguyen, Pickrell, and Wright), the treatment of vascular malformations with interventional radiology (Dr. Pimpalwar), and management of vascular anomalies involving the airway (Drs. Clarke, Lee, and Edmonds).

I would like to thank Dr. Larry H. Hollier, Jr., Editor-in-Chief of Seminars, for the tremendous opportunity to share with the readers our approach to vascular anomalies. I would also like to recognize my colleagues and coauthors for their hard work and insightful contributions to this edition. They have produced thoughtful articles that contain relevant insight for the clinician in the management and treatment of vascular anomalies. I am confident that the readers of this issue will stand to benefit from each author's specific expertise and unique observations.