Oral propranolol as a new treatment for facial infantile hemangioma: Case report

Hemangiomas are the most common benign tumors of infancy. Despite their selflimited course, infantile capillary hemangiomas can impair vital or sensory functions as vision and cause cosmetic deformity. The usual treatments include oral/intralesional steroids, alpha interferon, cytotoxins, pulsed dye laser and cosmetic surgery resection. These treatments are not free of multiple complications and toxic side effects. This report describes the case of a 3-month-old female baby with progressively increasing hemangioma of the left upper eyelid impinging over the visual field. The hemangioma promptly responded to low-dose oral propranolol. A clinical response was noticed few days after the beginning of the treatment, with regression to 1/4 of its original size in 45 days of treatment, and to less than 1/10 after 8 months, free of any major side effects.