Efficacy and duration of propranolol therapy for pediatric parotid hemangiomas

Abstract

Objective: To assess the efficacy and duration of propranolol therapy in pediatric patients with parotid hemangiomas, and compare the results with the efficacy and duration of propranolol therapy in patients with infantile hemangiomas in other anatomic locations. Methods: In this retrospective review, we analyzed the electronic medical records of 21 patients with parotid hemangiomas seen at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County’s Vascular Anomalies Clinic between 2009 and 2015. We compared the duration of propranolol therapy and rate of re-growth after completion of therapy with established data for these parameters in the literature for patients with other infantile hemangiomas. Results: In our cohort, 13 of the 21 patients had completed therapy, with a mean duration of 26 months of propranolol therapy. Eighteen patients (85.7%) were treated with the goal dose of propranolol (2 mg/kg/day). Three patients required a higher dose in order to achieve significant improvement in the size of the hemangioma. All patients had some response to propranolol. Eight of the 13 patients (61.5%) who completed propranolol therapy saw regrowth once initial propranolol therapy was either weaned or stopped. Conclusion: Pediatric patients with parotid hemangiomas require longer duration of propranolol therapy than patients with other infantile hemangiomas, and a greater percentage may have regrowth after completion of therapy.