Effect of captopril on infantile haemangiomas: a retrospective case series

The mechanism of action of beta adrenergic blockers in the involution of infantile haemangioma (IH) remains unclear. It has been proposed that the renin-angiotensin pathway may play a role. We present a retrospective case series of 17 patients with IH who were treated with oral corticosteroid therapy and developed hypertension requiring treatment with the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, captopril. All patients, with written documentation, demonstrated an improvement in their lesion at the start of oral corticosteroid therapy (n = 14). Captopril alone did not sustain the corticosteroid-induced involution with a documented worsening of infantile haemangioma in seven out of 12 patients (58%).