Treatment With Propranolol for Infantile Hemangioma in 13 Taiwanese Newborns and Young Infants

Hemangioma in infants has a benign self-limited course, but the 10% of cases with complications need further treatment. Successful treatment with propranolol in western countries has been reported over the past few years. We evaluated the efficacy of propranolol for treating infantile hemangioma in...

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Main Authors: Teng-Chin Hsu, Jiaan-Der Wang, Chao-Huei Chen, Te-Kau Chang, Teh-Ming Wang, Chia-Man Chou, Heng-Kuei Lin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2012-04-01
Series:Pediatrics and Neonatology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1875957212000113
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author Teng-Chin Hsu
Jiaan-Der Wang
Chao-Huei Chen
Te-Kau Chang
Teh-Ming Wang
Chia-Man Chou
Heng-Kuei Lin
author_facet Teng-Chin Hsu
Jiaan-Der Wang
Chao-Huei Chen
Te-Kau Chang
Teh-Ming Wang
Chia-Man Chou
Heng-Kuei Lin
author_sort Teng-Chin Hsu
collection DOAJ
description Hemangioma in infants has a benign self-limited course, but the 10% of cases with complications need further treatment. Successful treatment with propranolol in western countries has been reported over the past few years. We evaluated the efficacy of propranolol for treating infantile hemangioma in Taiwanese newborns and young infants. Methods: Patients below 1 year of age treated with propanolol between November 2009 and March 2011 were enrolled. Demographic data, clinical features, imaging findings, treatment regimens of propranolol, and outcome were investigated. Results: Thirteen patients were treated with propranolol at a dose of 2–3 mg/kg/day. Seven (53.8%) patients had solitary hemangioma and six had multiple ones. The indications for treatment were risk of local event in nine patients, functional risk in four, local complication in one, and life-threatening complication in one. The median age for starting propranolol was 4 months (range: 1–11 months). Responses to propranolol, such as decolorization, regression in tumor size, or improvement of hemangioma-associated complications were observed in all patients within 1–2 weeks after treatment. Propranolol-associated adverse effects occurred in two patients. One infant had occasional tachypnea, and the other had occasional pale-looking appearance. The symptoms resolved after dosage tapering. Conclusion: Propranolol may be a promising therapeutic modality for infantile hemangioma. Therapeutic strategies are needed to evaluate the optimal treatment protocol and long-term adverse effects.
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spelling doaj-art-c8996a16dec140eeb7e8f37fb7166d0e2025-08-20T02:00:39ZengElsevierPediatrics and Neonatology1875-95722012-04-0153212513210.1016/j.pedneo.2012.01.010Treatment With Propranolol for Infantile Hemangioma in 13 Taiwanese Newborns and Young InfantsTeng-Chin Hsu0Jiaan-Der Wang1Chao-Huei Chen2Te-Kau Chang3Teh-Ming Wang4Chia-Man Chou5Heng-Kuei Lin6Department of Pediatrics, Chiayi Branch, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Chiayi, TaiwanDepartment of Pediatrics, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Pediatrics, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Pediatrics, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Pediatrics, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, TaiwanDivision of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Pediatrics, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, TaiwanHemangioma in infants has a benign self-limited course, but the 10% of cases with complications need further treatment. Successful treatment with propranolol in western countries has been reported over the past few years. We evaluated the efficacy of propranolol for treating infantile hemangioma in Taiwanese newborns and young infants. Methods: Patients below 1 year of age treated with propanolol between November 2009 and March 2011 were enrolled. Demographic data, clinical features, imaging findings, treatment regimens of propranolol, and outcome were investigated. Results: Thirteen patients were treated with propranolol at a dose of 2–3 mg/kg/day. Seven (53.8%) patients had solitary hemangioma and six had multiple ones. The indications for treatment were risk of local event in nine patients, functional risk in four, local complication in one, and life-threatening complication in one. The median age for starting propranolol was 4 months (range: 1–11 months). Responses to propranolol, such as decolorization, regression in tumor size, or improvement of hemangioma-associated complications were observed in all patients within 1–2 weeks after treatment. Propranolol-associated adverse effects occurred in two patients. One infant had occasional tachypnea, and the other had occasional pale-looking appearance. The symptoms resolved after dosage tapering. Conclusion: Propranolol may be a promising therapeutic modality for infantile hemangioma. Therapeutic strategies are needed to evaluate the optimal treatment protocol and long-term adverse effects.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1875957212000113hemangiomainfantpropranolol
spellingShingle Teng-Chin Hsu
Jiaan-Der Wang
Chao-Huei Chen
Te-Kau Chang
Teh-Ming Wang
Chia-Man Chou
Heng-Kuei Lin
Treatment With Propranolol for Infantile Hemangioma in 13 Taiwanese Newborns and Young Infants
Pediatrics and Neonatology
hemangioma
infant
propranolol
title Treatment With Propranolol for Infantile Hemangioma in 13 Taiwanese Newborns and Young Infants
title_full Treatment With Propranolol for Infantile Hemangioma in 13 Taiwanese Newborns and Young Infants
title_fullStr Treatment With Propranolol for Infantile Hemangioma in 13 Taiwanese Newborns and Young Infants
title_full_unstemmed Treatment With Propranolol for Infantile Hemangioma in 13 Taiwanese Newborns and Young Infants
title_short Treatment With Propranolol for Infantile Hemangioma in 13 Taiwanese Newborns and Young Infants
title_sort treatment with propranolol for infantile hemangioma in 13 taiwanese newborns and young infants
topic hemangioma
infant
propranolol
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1875957212000113
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