OBJECTIVE: The mechanism of infantile hemangioma is not clearly understood and some research has shown that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is closely related to the vascular endothelial cell proliferation. This paper aims at probing into the role of VEGF in the development of infantile hemangioma. METHODS: Ninety specimens from congenital vascular disorders of skin were studied. Fifty six were from hemangioma (32 hemangiomas in the proliferating phase and 24 ones in the involuting phase) and 34 were from vascular malformation. VEGF, receptor of VEGF (VEGFR/KDR) and proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were detected by immuohistochemical method. RESULTS: The levels of expression of VEGF, VEGFR/KDR and PCNA in proliferating hemangioma were higher than those in involuting hemangioma, vascular malformation and normal tissue (P< 0.01 ), and there were no significant differences among the latter three tissues. CONCLUSIONS: VEGF and VEGFR may promote the growth of hemangioma. The detection of VEGF, VEGFR/KDR and PCNA may be useful in clinical differential diagnosis between hemangioma and vascular malformation.