Background: Infantile hemangiomas are benign vascular tumors that affect 8-12 % of infants. Several recent articles describe effect of propanolol in this patient group. We report a case and present a short review of the literature.
Material and methods: The article is based on literature retrieved through a non-systematic search in Pubmed, and our own experience in using propanolol for treatment of a patient with infantile hemangioma.
Results: Our patient responded quickly to propanolol, with a clinical response within few days. Literature describes reduced size and changes in the colour of hemangiomas within 24-48 hours. Our experience is in line with that reported in the literature. Propanolol treatment of this patient group has only been documented in observational studies of small groups and no prospective clinical studies have been reported.
Interpretation: Propanolol seems to be an effective treatment of infantile hemangiomas. Prospective controlled studies are needed to document optimal dosing, need for monitoring, side effects and duration of therapy.