Use of propranolol for the treatment infantile hemangiomas in the maxillofacial region

Propranolol has been used successfully in a limited number of children with infantile hemangiomas (IHs). This study describes the efficacy and adverse effects of propranolol in IH. Seventy-one infants with IHs were treated with oral propranolol, administered at a dose of 2 mg/kg/day, for at least 12 weeks. A photograph-based severity scoring assessment was performed by five observers to evaluate efficacy, utilizing a score of 10 as the original IHs before treatment and 0 as completely normal skin. The mean of the five independent measurements was used in the analysis. Propranolol was a rapid and effective treatment for IHs at 4 weeks (P < 0.001), at 8 weeks (P < 0.001 compared with the value at 4 weeks), at 12 weeks (P < 0.05 compared with the value at 8 weeks), and thereafter up to 32 weeks (P < 0.01 compared with the value at 16 weeks). The response of IHs to propranolol was similar regardless of gender, age at the onset of treatment, type of involvement (local and extended), facial segments affected, special locations (eyelid, nasal tip, and parotid regions), ulceration, and depth of IHs. In the series of patients in this study, oral propranolol at a dosage of 2 mg/kg/day was a well-tolerated and effective treatment for IHs.