Evaluating the efficacy of different treatment modalities in cases of infantile hemangioma

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate different treatment modalities of infantile hemangiomas with their benefits and side effects within 3 months of treatment.BackgroundThe most common vascular tumors in infants are infantile hemangiomas, usually present as a premonitory mark with rapid postnatal growth, followed by slow involution. For those requiring systemic medications, early treatment is critical.Patients and methodsA randomized-controlled trial was conducted on 120 patients with hemangioma distributed into four treatment groups. The first group was treated by placebo, the second group was treated by topical timolol only, the third group was treated by topical timolol + oral propranolol and the fourth group was treated by topical timolo + intralesional steroid.ResultsSignificant response was found in 90.9% of the patients in the topical timolol + oral propranolol group, 78.1% of the patients in the topical timolol-only group and 72.7% of the patients in the topical timolol + intralesional steroid group. In terms of the side effects, the topical timolol + intralesional steroid had the most side effects (54.5%), followed by the topical timolol + propranolol group (45.5%) and the topical timolol-only group (18.8%). There was a statistically significant difference in lesion size, the visual analog scale, side effects, and response.ConclusionThe combination of topical timolol with oral propranolol is a very rapid, effective, simple, and safe treatment for compound hemangiomas, achieving more remarkable clinical results and fewer side effects than other methods of treatment. Therefore, we can use this combination as the first line of treatment.