Analysis of Therapeutic Decisions for Infantile Hemangiomas: A Prospective Study Comparing the Hemangioma Severity Scale with the Infantile Hemangioma Referral Score

Background: In view of the high incidence of infantile hemangioma (IH) in infants and young children, a comprehensive and reasonable evaluation scale for referral is urgently needed. This study compared the influence of the Hemangioma Severity Scale (HSS) and the Infantile Hemangioma Referral Score (IHReS) on treatment decisions for infantile hemangioma patients. Objective: We aimed to establish a reliable and effective evaluation method for referral. Methods: This was a prospective study to determine whether treatment was needed for IH patients after evaluation with the HSS and IHReS. Results: A total of 266 consecutive referred IH patients were evaluated for the risk of IH, and the treatment rate was 80.8%. The area under the curve (AUC) of the subject receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) of treatment decision making after referral by the HSS was 0.703 (95% CI: 0.634–0.772), and after referral by the IHReS was 0.892 (95% CI: 0.824–0.960). Limitations: This was a single-center study. Conclusions: For decisions regarding the treatment of IH patients, the IHReS has a higher efficiency and sensitivity than the HSS. However, the specificity of the IHReS is lower than that of the HSS.