National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Non-involuting congenital hemangioma

Información en español


Other Names:
NICH; Noninvoluting congenital hemangioma
Categories:
Non-involuting congenital hemangioma (NICH) is a rare type of infantile hemangioma, which is a tumor that forms from the abnormal growth of blood vessels in the skin.  NICH looks like an oval, purplish mark or bump that can occur on any part of the body.  NICH is present from birth (congenital) and increases in size as the child grows.  Unlike other hemangiomas, NICH do not disappear spontaneously (involute).[1]
Last updated: 12/11/2011

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

Showing of 9 |
Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Midfrontal capillary hemangioma 0007466
Perineal hemangioma 0031449
Subcutaneous calcification
Skin calcification
0007618
Telangiectasia of the skin 0100585
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Congestive heart failure
Cardiac failure
Cardiac failures
Heart failure
[ more ] 		0001635
Hepatic hemangioma 0031207
Peripheral arteriovenous fistula 0100784
Prominent superficial veins
Prominent veins
0001015
Thrombocytopenia
Low platelet count
0001873
Showing of 9 |
Last updated: 7/1/2020
Non-involuting congenital hemangioma (NICH) is diagnosed by taking a biopsy of the skin mark and examining the tissue under a microscope.  NICH looks different under the microscope than most infantile hemangiomas because the blood vessels are arranged more irregularly.  Also, the cells in an NICH do not have glucose receptors, whereas the cells of almost all hemangiomas do have glucose receptors.  Finally, NICH is different from more common types of hemangiomas because NICH does not spontaneously disappear (involute). Instead, NICH remains stable over time.[1]
Last updated: 12/11/2011
Because non-involuting congenital hemangioma (NICH) is quite rare, there are no established guidelines for the treatment of this condition.  However, the authors of one article on NICH suggest that there is no risk for excessive bleeding during the removal of an NICH and it is unlikely to regrow after surgery.[1]  Because NICH is a benign skin mark, surgery isn't necessary but can be considered to improve appearance of the skin.
Last updated: 12/11/2011

Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
For lesions of intermediate size it may be difficult to distinguish between NICH and RICH at birth. NICH must also be differentiated from the congenital, single plaque-type of tufted angioma and from a kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (see these terms), and a biopsy may be indicated.
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Non-involuting congenital hemangioma. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know. Submit a new question

  • My son was born with a vascular lesion in the right groin area.  A biopsy of the lesion suggested it is likely to be a non-involuting congenital hemangioma (NICH), but there is a possibility it is a kaposiform hemangioendothelioma.  I would like to know why it has not been possible to determine which of the two it actually is and why surgical excision will be necessary in the future. See answer


  1. Enjolras O, Mulliken JB, Boon LM, Wassef M, Kozakewich HP, Burrows PE. Noninvoluting congenital hemangioma: a rare cutaneous vascular anomaly. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2001; 107:1647-1654. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11391180. Accessed 12/6/2011.