An initial overview of management and treatment outcomes for head and neck hemangiomas

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To provide an initial overview of the outcomes of different treatment modalities used for hemangiomas.METHODS:Design: Case SeriesSetting: Tertiary National University HospitalParticipants: Records of 21 patients diagnosed with head and neck hemangiomas in the Philippine General Hospital Department of Otorhinolaryngology from 2009 to 2014 were reviewed.RESULTS: Majority of the patients were female (61.9%) and in the pediatric age group (57.1%). Of the 21 patients, 6 underwent medical management, 13 had surgical management, 1 had both medical and surgical management and 1 opted to observe the lesion. All patients treated with propranolol observed a decrease in the size of the lesion. Seven out of the 13 patients had radiofrequency ablation; all had gross residual lesion. Six of the 13 underwent excision with complete excision being achieved in 5 of 6 cases.CONCLUSION: Treatment response of patients in this series with hemangiomas of the head and neck to propranolol at a dose of 1 to 2 mg/kg/day may reflect international data. Outcomes analysis for radiofrequency ablation and surgical excision requires a longer duration of follow-up.