Case report: Treatment failure using propanolol for treatment of focal subglottic hemangioma

Subglottic hemangioma is a rare, potentially life threatening tumor of infancy which poses serious treatment challenges. A number of medical and surgical therapies over the years have met with variable success, and are associated with numerous potential morbidities. A potential windfall in the management of infantile hemangiomas has arisen with the recent identification of propanolol as a highly efficacious and relatively safe new treatment modality. At least five reports in the literature have described the rapid, successful treatment of airway hemangiomas with oral propanolol. We describe the first reported treatment failure with propanolol for subglottic hemangioma in an infant who initially responded dramatically to the medication.