Resection of amblyogenic periocular hemangiomas: indications and outcomes

Periocular hemangiomas can induce irreversible amblyopia by multiple mechanisms: visual deprivation, refractive error (astigmatism and/or anisometropia), or strabismus. There is a subset of complicated periocular hemangiomas most effectively managed by resection.

The authors reviewed all patients from 1999 to 2008 with a periocular hemangioma that was either completely resected or debulked; whenever necessary, the levator apparatus was reinserted. Infants were included in the study if they had complete preoperative and postoperative ophthalmic assessments and there was more than a 6-month follow-up interval.

Thirty-three children were treated with a mean operative age of 6.2 months and a mean follow-up interval of 48.2 months. The majority of hemangiomas were well-localized and caused corneal deformation with astigmatism or blepharoptosis. Intralesional or oral corticosteroid administration was attempted in almost one-half of patients. Postoperatively, the degree of astigmatism was statistically improved: from 3.0 diopters to 1.11 diopters (p < 0.001). When resection was performed in infants younger than 3 months (19 patients), astigmatism was less severe preoperatively and the correction was slightly greater postoperatively (from 2.76 diopters to 0.80 diopters). Resection performed after 3 months (14 patients) of age also resulted in improvement of astigmatism (from 3.39 diopters to 1.38 diopters). Reinsertion of the levator expansion was required in 34 percent of patients.

The authors advocate early resection of a well-localized periocular hemangioma to prevent potentially irreversible amblyopia caused by either corneal deformation or blepharoptosis. The longer a complicated periocular hemangioma is observed, the greater the astigmatism and the less amenable it will be to correction following tumor removal.