Early stroke and cerebral vasculopathy in children with facial hemangiomas and PHACE association.

PHACE association is a rare neurocutaneous syndrome that may include posterior fossa malformations, hemangiomas, arterial anomalies, coarctation of the aorta and cardiac defects, eye abnormalities, and sternal defects. The arterial abnormalities may be developmental or acquired and usually involve the cervical and cerebral vasculature. We believe that infants with PHACE association are at increased risk of arterial ischemic stroke and describe 5 infants with facial hemangiomas and structural and acquired arterial anomalies, all of whom suffered an arterial ischemic stroke during infancy.