title: Failure to thrive in infants with complicated facial hemangiomas.
abstract: We have observed that some children with facial hemangiomas of infancy have feeding difficulties coincident with periods of failure to thrive. We evaluated the early oral sensory and feeding experiences of four children with facial hemangiomas through medical record review and parental surveys to investigate their contribution to the patients' failure to thrive. All children with feeding irregularities experienced some degree of oral sensory impairment and required early oral sensory intervention, but there were varying reports of difficulty or delay in the development of oral feeding. The nature of these difficulties is discussed. Infants with complicated facial hemangiomas with perioral and airway involvement may be at higher risk for feeding and oral sensory problems. We recommend close monitoring for failure to thrive and early evaluation by speech or occupational therapists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514, USA. mwthomas@unch.unc.edu
authors.forename: Meghan W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Craig N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Burkhart
authors.forename: Sapna P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Vaghani
authors.forename: Dean S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Morrell
authors.forename: Annette M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005145:Face; D005183:Failure to Thrive / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male