Propranolol for Infantile Hemangiomas: A Review

Abstract

Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are the most common vascular tumors of infancy. Since it was discovered several years ago, propranolol hydrochloride has become a very popular and successful treatment for complicated and aesthetically disfiguring IHs. The recent literature on propranolol is reviewed, including a summary of larger studies, discussion of adverse effects, and the use of propranolol in complicated IHs, such as ulcerated IHs, airway, and hepatic IHs.

Effect of oral propranolol on periocular Capillary Hemangiomas of Infancy

“…Change in the color of the lesion and softening of the mass is observed due to vasoconstriction. 4,6,15 Nearly one third of our patients had visible improvement within a week.…”

“…This prevents rebound increase in size and rebound tachycardia. 8,15,18 The duration of treatment in our study ranged from 8 to 56 weeks. Bagazgoitia et al in their study found that 5 out of 21 patients developed rebound growth following abrupt cessation of the therapy.…”