Propranolol for the treatment of infantile hemangiomas: a nine-year monocentric experience from a tertiary hospital

BACKGROUND

Propranolol is currently considered the first-line therapy for problematic infantile hemangiomas (IH), the most common benign vascular neoplasm of infancy.

OBJECTIVES

We present a retrospective observational study aimed at assessing the efficacy of propranolol in 44 IH patients.

MATERIALS & METHODS

A nine-year retrospective review considering clinicodemographical and therapy-related variables was performed on medical records of infants treated for IH with oral propranolol. Each lesion was assessed through a numeric severity score based on size and colour both at baseline and after treatment conclusion (p <0.05 was considered statistically significant).

RESULTS

Complete remission was achieved in 90.7% cases of IH with a general mean improvement in severity of 94.94%. No severe adverse effects were reported. Preterm patients showed a superior response compared to term infants, even though the difference was not significant (p=0.185).

CONCLUSION

Propranolol showed high efficacy in terms of safety profile and cosmetic results. Prematurity and precocious therapy could be linked to a superior response.

Color Doppler Evaluation of Arterial Resistive Index in Infantile Hemangioma: A Useful Parameter to Monitor the Response to Oral Propranolol?

Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common benign vascular tumor in childhood. In more than 85% of all cases, IHs undergo spontaneous involution, but nearly 10-12% of IHs develop complications and require immediate therapy. Oral propranolol is currently the first-line treatment for IHs. Color Doppler ultrasound is the gold standard in the diagnosis of deep IH, and it is used to evaluate the morphological change and the modification of vascularization that occur during its evolution and treatment. To date, only few data in the literature described the changes of intralesional arterial resistive index (RI) during treatment with propranolol; particularly, some authors have shown an increase of intralesional arterial RI in IHs with clinical regression during treatment with propranolol. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the changes of RI of the intralesional arteries of the IHs during the treatment with oral propranolol. We retrospectively analyzed a total of 64 IHs in 60 patients treated with oral propranolol with a good clinical response. Gray-scale ultrasonography and color Doppler imaging were performed before and during the therapy. The intralesional RIs were measured before and during the treatment. For each lesion, we recorded the RI values, and then we calculated the mean RI value for any single lesion. We compared the mean RI value observed at the baseline with the mean RI value of the last detectable sampling at color Doppler. We also compared between them the mean RI values observed during intermediate ultrasound. The RI values were compared in 44 lesions, with at least two significant samplings of RI. In the 44 lesions compared, we did not find statistically significant variations in the mean RI values between the baseline control and the values recorded at the last post-treatment control. The time trend of mean RI values of the intermediate color Doppler analysis performed between the first pre-treatment control and the last measurable control did not show any statistically significant variation in the trend of mean RI values. Contrarily to what has been described by some authors, in our experience, we have not observed an increase of RI in IHs treated with oral propranolol.

Hemangiol in infantile haemangioma: A paediatric post-marketing surveillance drug study

AIM

Infantile haemangioma (IH) is the most common benign tumour in children. Since 2014, propranolol has become the first-choice therapy and currently Hemangiol is the only approved drug for complicated haemangioma. This post-marketing study reports the use of Hemangiol for IH in paediatric practice.

METHOD AND RESULTS

From January 2014 to November 2018, 94 children (median age 4 [0; 21] months; 75% female) treated with Hemangiol for proliferative IH were enrolled in the study. The systematic paediatric cardiology consultation never contraindicated beta-blockers. Two Hemangiol initiation protocols were used: a conventional ambulatory 3-week titration phase protocol (n = 76, 80.9%), and a rapid initiation protocol with a 48-hour dose escalation in conventional hospitalization for severe proliferative or ulcerated IH (n = 18, 19.1%). In both protocols, the haemodynamic tolerance was good. The mean maintenance dose of Hemangiol was 2.7 ± 0.8 mg/kg/day, with a median treatment duration of 7 [1.5; 19] months. Adverse events (AEs) have been found in 25 (26,6%) patients, including 8 (8.5%) patients with serious AEs (uncontrolled bronchial hyperreactivity, n = 5; serious hypoglycaemia, n = 3). Some patients had one or more AEs, a total of 24 nonserious AEs was reported in 19 patients (sleep disturbances, n = 9; respiratory disorders, n = 5; digestive disorders, n = 6). No cardiac adverse event was reported.

CONCLUSION

This post-marketing surveillance drug study supports the good tolerance of Hemangiol in children with IH. A rapid initiation protocol is of interest when treatment is urgent. The pretherapeutic paediatric cardiology consultation should not be systematic but only indicated for specific patients. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT04105517.

To compare intralesional and oral propranolol for treating periorbital and eyelid capillary hemangiomas

Purpose:

A pilot randomized control trial to compare the efficacy and side effects of intralesional and oral propranolol in periorbital and eyelid capillary hemangiomas.

Methods:

Twenty patients were prospectively randomized to two groups of ten each. Group 1 was initiated on oral propranolol 1 mg/kg/day titrated to final dose of 3 mg/kg/day over 1 week which was continued for 6 months and then tapered over 1 week; Group 2 received 3 doses of direct intralesional propranolol hydrochloride 1 mg/ml; 0.2 ml/cm 4–6 weeks apart. Hemangioma area and corneal astigmatism were measured.

Results:

Within each group at 6 months there was a significant reduction in area (group 1: 83.48 ± 11.67%, P = 0.0019; group 2: 67.78 ± 21.71%, P = 0.0019) and improvement in astigmatism (pre, post: group 1: 2.98D @ 179.8°, 1.13D @ 179.8°, P = 0.0045; group 2: 1.62D @ 90.16°, 0.75D @ 179.9°, P = 0.0001). There was no difference in area reduction (P = 0.056), change in appearance (P = 0.085), ptosis (P = 0.23) and side effects (lethargy, poor feeding; P = 0.171) between the two groups.

Conclusion:

Efficacy and side effects with intralesional propranolol are comparable to oral propranolol for periorbital and eyelid lesions.

Central Nervous System Effects of Oral Propranolol for Infantile Hemangioma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Concerns about the effects of propranolol on the central nervous system (CNS) in the infantile hemangioma (IH) population have been raised. We conducted a meta-analysis of the CNS and sleep-related effects of oral propranolol in IH patients. PubMed, Embase, Cochrance, Web of Science, and Clinicaltrials.gov were searched for relevant studies. We included clinical trials that compared oral propranolol with other treatments among IH patients under 6 years old and monitored and reported any adverse events. Study characteristics, types and number of adverse events were abstracted. Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool was used to assess risk of bias. Our main outcomes were CNS and sleep-related effects. Random-effects models were used to estimate the pooled risk ratio. We did not observe statistically significant associations between oral propranolol and CNS or sleep-related effects. Oral propranolol appeared to have a safer profile of CNS effects than corticosteroids (RR = 0.27, 95% CI 0.02⁻3.00), but had an increased risk versus non-corticosteroids (for CNS effect, RR = 1.40, 95% CI 0.86⁻2.27; for sleep-related effects, RR = 1.63, 95% CI 0.88⁻3.03). Despite no statistically significant associations, there were suggestive findings of increased CNS effects and sleep-related risk of propranolol versus non-corticosteroids. In practice, CNS and sleep-related events should be monitored more closely among IH patients treated with oral propranolol.

Oral Propranolol for the Treatment of Superficial Infantile Hemangiomas

Objective: Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are the most common vascular tumors of infancy. Oral propranolol has achieved great success in treating IHs since 2008. To minimize the systemic side events caused by oral administration of propranolol, topical timolol started to be applied in the treatment of IHs, especially for superficial lesions.

Methods: We treated 724 children with superficial IHs using oral propranolol or topical timolol, and investigated the efficacy and safety of the two treatment patterns.

Results: Both oral propranolol and topical timolol achieved a satisfactory therapeutic outcome, with an effective response rate of 97 and 96.4%, respectively. No significant differences in visual analog scale (VAS) improvement between the two groups were observed. Occurrence rate of systemic adverse events for patients treated with oral propranolol (3.9%) was significantly higher than that for patients treated with topical timolol (0%). Clinical response was not associated with gender, duration of treatment, lesion location, lesion size, gestational age, and progesterone use during pregnancy, but closely associated with age at treatment initiation, which indicated that younger age at treatment initiation predicted for a better regression rate.

Conclusions: We recommend that topical timolol instead of oral propranolol could be the first-line therapy for superficial IHs because of its good efficacy and improved safety.

Orbital infantile haemangioma: radiological features and treatment - case series and literature review

AIM

The aim of this study is to report a retrospective case series on orbital infantile haemangiomas (OIH). Radiological features and treatment with oral propranolol (OP) are illustrated along with an updated literature review.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review of six children, diagnosed with OIH from November 2015 to October 2016, was carried out. Only children with deep documented orbital involvement were included. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) under general anaesthesia. OP was administered to the infants according to the Nottingham Children's Hospital guideline. As per the guideline, a preliminary paediatric assessment was performed and a 1 mg/kg test dose was administered, followed by definitive treatment at a dosage of 2 mg/kg in three divided doses.

RESULTS

Average age at presentation was within the first 3 weeks of life. T1 hypointensity, T2 hyperintensity, avid enhancement with contrast, and the presence of flow-voids appear a fixed pattern of OIH on MRI. Response to treatment was noticed within 4 weeks in all children, and two of them (33.3%) responded within the first 7 days. In two children (33.3%), the haemangioma became clinically undetectable by the seventh month of treatment, while the other four (66.6%) experienced an almost complete regression of the OIH by the last follow-up. No complications were found.

CONCLUSIONS

Our series strengthens the understanding that MRI is the preferred imaging modality in the investigation of OIH, showing vascular features, detailed orbital extension, and possible associated malformations. OP is the treatment of choice for OIH, and our study confirms its safety and effectiveness.

Combined oral propranolol with intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide in treatment of infantile periocular hemangiomas

Aim

To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of combined oral propranolol with intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of infantile periorbital capillary hemangioma.

Patients and Methods

This prospective interventional study included children diagnosed with periocular infantile hemangiomas in the proliferative phase with vision-threatening lesions. The children presented to the oculoplastic unit in Sohag University Hospital in the period between January 2016 and February 2017 and were treated with a combined intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide with oral propranolol, with a follow-up period of 6 months. Treatment response was evaluated according to the size of the tumor (horizontal diameter); additionally, complications of both treatment methods were recorded.

Results

This study included 33 infants: 21 females (64%) and 12 males (36%). The mean age at the time of injection was 4.9±2.6 months. The study included three modes of treatment response: regression of the tumor, 28 patients (85%); stabilization, three patients (9%); and failure, two patients (6%), which necessitated repeated intralesional injection of triamcinolone but with minimal response. Regarding complications, only one patient reported with subconjunctival hemorrhage during intralesional injection of steroids; there were no recorded cases of hypotension, bradycardia, or hypoglycemia during the course of oral propranolol treatment. After the end of the follow-up period, there were no reported cases of recurrent increase in the size of the regressed group of infantile hemangiomas with stable tumor size.

Conclusion

Combined oral propranolol with intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide is the effective method of treatment for infantile periorbital capillary hemangioma with minimal adverse effects.

Propranolol therapy for infantile hemangioma: our experience

Objective

Hemangiomas are the most common benign vascular tumors of infancy. Although most infantile hemangiomas (IHs) have the ability to involute spontaneously after initial proliferation and resolve without consequence, intervention is required in a subset of IHs, which develop complications resulting in ulceration, bleeding, or aesthetic deformity. The primary treatment for this subset of IHs is pharmacological intervention, and propranolol has become the new first-line treatment for complicated hemangiomas. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of propranolol on proliferation IH in a clinical cohort including 578 patients.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed a total of 578 IH patients who were treated with oral propranolol from January 2010 to December 2012. Responses to the propranolol treatment were graded as: excellent, good, poor, or no response. Based on the response to propranolol treatment (once daily at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg for patients younger than 2 months; twice daily at daily total dose of 2 mg/kg for patients older than 2 months), additional pharmacotherapies or surgery were used for IH patients for satisfactory clinical outcome.

Results

Five hundred and sixty (96.9%) of 578 IH patients in our study responded to oral propranolol treatment, and the response rate was significantly different for different ages of patients (P<0.05), with the youngest patients having the highest response rate. The mean time of treatment was 6 months (range, 3–12 months). For example, response rate to propranolol was 98.1% in patients younger than 2 months, compared with 93.3% in patients older than 2 months and younger than 8 months, and 73.7% in patients older than 8 months. One hundred and thirty one patients who exhibited incompletely involuted hemangiomas were further treated with timolol maleate (n=89) or pulsed dye laser (n=42). One hundred and seventeen (89.3%) of 131 patients showed a positive response. There were no instances of life-threatening complications after propranolol. However, minor side effects were observed including 10 (1.73%) cases of sleep disturbance, 7 (1.21%) cases of diarrhea, and 5 (0.86%) cases of bronchospasm.

Conclusion

IH requires early intervention. During the involution phase, tapering propranolol dosage can be done to minimize side effects before discontinuing treatment. For patients exhibiting telangiectasia and chromatosis after propranolol treatment, administration of a 0.5% solution of timolol maleate or pulse dye laser is an effective therapeutic approach for complete involution.