RT Journal
A1 Haggstrom AN, Beaumont JL, Lai J, et al
T1 Measuring the severity of infantile hemangiomas: Instrument development and reliability
JF Archives of Dermatology
JO Archives of Dermatology
YR 2012
FD February 1
VO 148
IS 2
SP 197
OP 202
DO 10.1001/archdermatol.2011.926
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archdermatol.2011.926
AB Objectives 
                  To develop instruments that measure the severity of infantile hemangiomas (Hemangioma Severity Scale [HSS]) and the complications of infantile hemangiomas for longitudinal use (Hemangioma Dynamic Complication Scale [HDCS]).Design 
                  Instrument development and reliability study.Setting 
                  Academic research.Participants 
                  The HSS and the HDCS were developed through the collaborative effort of members of the Hemangioma Investigator Group Research Core, an expert multi-institutional research group. After development of the scales, 13 pediatric dermatologists used the HSS to score 20 different hemangiomas. In addition, 12 pediatric dermatologists used the HDCS to score hemangioma-related complications for 24 clinical scenarios. Interrater and intrarater reliability was measured for both scales.Main Outcome Measures 
                  Interrater and intrarater reliability.Results 
                  For the HSS, interrater reliability and intrarater reliability exceeded 99%. Similarly, the HDCS had a high rate of interrater agreement; for individual items, agreement among raters was 67% to 100%, with most clinical scenarios demonstrating greater than 90% agreement. Intrarater reliability was excellent for all individual items of the HDCS.Conclusion 
                  The HSS and the HDCS are reliable scales that can be used to measure the severity of infantile hemangiomas, including the severity of complications for longitudinal use.