Objectives: To evaluate laboratory and radiological features of hemangiomas in childhood in addition to efficacy and safety of propranolol as a first-line treatment of complicated hemangiomas retrospectively.
Methods: The files of 60 patients who were diagnosed as capillary hemangioma were evaluated retrospectively. Fourteen children with complicated hemangiomas treated with propranolol were analysed, in terms of side effects, efficacy and duration of treatment.
Results: These fourteen patients (23 %) were treated with propranolol because of ulcerated, infected and/or deep seated localisations. The duration of treatment with propranolol were between 3 and 12 mo (median: 6 mo). Bronchospasm was observed in one patient during treatment. Except for two patients, all of them responded to propranolol treatment with limited side effects.
Conclusions: The present results support that propranolol is safe and effective treatment choice for complicated infantile hemangiomas, because of minimal side effects and encouraging response rates (80 %). In addition, the authors suggest that routine cranial radiological imagings might not be necessary for hemangiomas without any neurological symptoms.