Use of propranolol for infantile hemangiomas.

Treating infantile hemangiomas may be associated with significant morbidity. Recently, propranolol, a nonselective ß-blocker, has become a reputed and successful treatment modality for infantile hemangiomas. Here, the author presents experience with oral propranolol in treatment of 14 patients with infantile hemangiomas. The drug was tolerated well and no side effects except reversible bronchospasm in 3 were observed during treatment. Eleven of the patients, younger than 1 year, showed a good response, with more than 50% reduction in the size of the hemangiomas. Although there are a limited number of patients, these results showed that oral propranolol therapy is a safe and effective choice in the treatment of infantile hemangiomas before the age of 1 year.