A case of multiple benign hemangiomas in a 10-week-old Negro female is presented. At autopsy, numerous cutaneous and visceral sites of involvement were found. The hemangiomas are believed to arise from a multicentric developmental abnormality but appear capable of limited independent growth and tissue destruction. Postmortem angiograms demonstrate the existence of numerous arteriovenous shunts, which are believed responsible for the marked cardiac enlargement and early congestive heart failure in this case, as well as in previously reported cases of infantile hemangioendothelioma of the liver. Visceral hemangiomatosis should be considered as a possible extra-cardiac cause of infantile cardiac hypertrophy or failure of unknown etiology, especially in the infant with cutaneous hemangiomas. Angiographic techniques may be of help in the diagnosis and determination of extent of visceral hemangiomas.
P-488 Interest of BNP titration in determination of functional status in a heart failure population