Clinical effect of propranolol in the treatment of respiratory hemangioma in infants and young children

Abstract:

Objective To study the clinical effect of oral propranolol in the treatment of respiratory hemangioma in infants and young children. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed from the chart review data of children with respiratory hemangioma treated by oral propranolol and diagnosed by bronchoscopy and laryngeal plain enhanced CT/MRI from November 2012 to December 2019. Results A total of 20 children were enrolled. All children had improvement in the symptoms of laryngeal stridor and dyspnea after oral administration of propranolol for 1-2 days. The median treatment time was 10 months (range 6-12 months). The median follow-up time was 10 months (range 3-15 months). Of the 20 children, 19 (95%) achieved regression of tumor, and 1 (5%) experienced an increase in tumor size during reexamination at 6 months after drug withdrawal and had no recurrence after the treatment with an increased dose of propranolol for 6 months. Only 1 child (5%) had adverse reactions, and 1 child (5%) was still under treatment. Conclusions Oral propranolol can quickly relieve the symptoms such as dyspnea and achieve tumor regression, with few adverse events, and it is therefore an effective method for the treatment of respiratory hemangioma in infants and young children.