Propranolol as the first-line therapy for infantile hemangiomas: preliminary results of two centers.

AIM: Despite a mostly self-limiting course, infantile hemangiomas can cause severe functional and/or cosmetic problems. The aim of this study was to determine the efficiency of propranolol treatment on infantile hemangiomas.

METHODS: Sixty-seven infantile hemangioma patients were included in propranolol protocol in two institutions from 2009 to 2011. Participants included 36 boys and 31 girls. An associate protocol with radiology and pediatric cardiology was constructed for appropriate patient selection. Patients received a dose of 2 mg/kg/day, and all were admitted for the first 24 hours of therapy.

RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients were included in the study. Mean age at the initiation of therapy was 7 months (1 to 24 months), and eleven patients were older than 12 months of age when propranolol was started. All patients showed improvement with varying responses. No side effects were detected during the treatment.

CONCLUSION: Previously defined treatments for hemangiomas were efficient, yet had a limited usage because of side effects. Propranolol, with a high efficacy (not as total involution but stabilization and regression) and feasibility deserves to be the first line therapy for infantile hemangiomas even after the proliferation phase.