Abstract
Infantile hemangioma is the most common benign tumor of infancy and naturally regresses gradually in most cases. However, some atypical hemangiomas may become life-threatening and require immediate initiation of treatment. They used to be treated with laser, surgery, arterial embolization, radiation, vincristine, interferon-alpha, and/or steroids, which comprise some adverse effects. Propranolol, a non-selective beta-blocker, has been recognized as a first-line treatment of infantile hemangioma. It is non-invasive treatment with fewer adverse effects. We report successful treatment of a very large infantile neck hemangioma, which caused swelling of the epiglottis, with oral propranolol. The patient was a female infant with a neck hemangioma. Because the tumor progressed so rapidly that it compressed her airway, we performed a tracheostomy 21 days after birth. Oral propranolol was initiated on day 26 after birth, and we increased its dose from 1 mg to 3 mg. The tumor began to decrease in a few days. The hemangioma gradually shrank until it almost totally disappeared. Oral propranolol was continued for 6 months. No relapse has been observed.
