Evaluation of Clinical Properties and Treatment Responses of Infantile Hemangioma

Infantile hemangiomas are the most common vascular tumors in childhood. Although spontaneous regression is common; several infantile hemangioma patients need treatment due to possible morbidities. The aim of this study was to investigate the medical methods used in the treatment of infantile hemangiomas and to evaluate the factors affecting treatment response.

Clinical and demographic characteristics, risk factors, treatment indications, modalities, duration, and responses of 100 patients between January 2007 and January 2017 were evaluated.

The most common form of hemangiomas was superficial lesions. Sixty three per cent of the patients were female. Ulceration and hemorrhage were found in 26% of the cases and ocular problems were detected in 3% of the cases. Among the indications for treatment were cosmetic reasons with 56%, ulcer and bleeding with 25% and risk of vision problems with 13%. Propranolol with/without steroid was used as first line treatment and response rates were: 84 patients with more than 50% response, 9 patients with less than 50% response and 7 patients with treatment refractory. The most important factor affecting the treatment response was age at the beginning of the treatment. Duration of treatment, presence of ulceration, location, and size of hemangioma were also found to have significant effects on responses.

This study demonstrated the importance of the kind and initiation time of infantile hemangioma treatment. A strong positive effect can be reached by starting treatment before the end of the proliferation phase. J Drugs Dermatol. 2020;19(12): doi:10.36849/JDD.2020.5009.