Propranolol Treatment in Infantile Hemangiomas: A Single Center Experience

Objective: Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common benign vascular tumor in infants. Although most IHs regress spontaneously, complicated IHs require treatment. Currently, propranolol has become the first-line therapy for managing IH. This study aims to evaluate patients who’ve been hospitalize...

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Main Authors: Şeyma Karatekin, Ali Ayçiçek, Müge Gündoğdu, Hüseyin Aldemir
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Istanbul University Press 2023-03-01
Series:Çocuk Dergisi
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Online Access:https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/2F6509401EBC474F932BB2E52B5DE04C
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Summary:Objective: Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common benign vascular tumor in infants. Although most IHs regress spontaneously, complicated IHs require treatment. Currently, propranolol has become the first-line therapy for managing IH. This study aims to evaluate patients who’ve been hospitalized and started propranolol treatment in order to assess how to follow the treatment process as well as the effectiveness and safety of the treatment in light of the current literature. Materials and Methods: 48 patients who were hospitalized for IH and started propranolol treatment between June 2012 and December 2015 were evaluated retrospectively. The cases were examined in terms of pre-treatment laboratory tests, cardiological evaluation, imaging methods, age, gender, hemangioma location, treatment indication, side effects and treatment efficacy. Results: The mean age of starting treatment was 6 months (range=2-146 months) in the total of 48 cases (nfemale=32, nmale=16), with 30% of the cases having a history of preterm delivery. No pathology was detected in 38 (90%) of the 42 patients who’d been assessed using cranial USG before treatment. Corpus callosum agenesis was detected in one patient, hydrocephalus in one patient, and choroid plexus cyst in one patient. Abdominal ultrasonography were normal in 89% of the 47 assessed patients, renal agenesis was found in one patient, and hepatic hemangiomas were detected in four patients (9%). Indications for treatment were rapid growth (44%), ulcerated hemangioma (29%), and giant hemangioma (27%). Mean duration of treatment was 15.3±7.9 months. Duration of treatment in giant hemangiomas was significantly longer compared to the other indications (p<0.05). According to clinical evaluation, propranolol treatment was found to be effective in 88% of patients. No life-threatening side effects were observed. Bradycardia and arrhythmia were detected in two patients, but treatment was continued as they resolved spontaneously. Conclusion: Propranolol treatment was found to be effective and safe for treating infantile hemangioma. In patients with a normal physical examination and no risk regarding anamnesis, initiating treatment under surveillance at hospital and evaluating routine ECG and ECO before treatment might not be absolutely necessary.
ISSN:1308-8491