Drug Discov Ther. 2023;17(1):70-72. (DOI: 10.5582/ddt.2022.01086)

A study of 95 infantile hemangiomas treated with propranolol: A potentially efficacious combination with laser therapy

Yamada-Kanazawa S, Shimada S, Nakayama W, Sawamura S, Nishimura Y, Kajihara I, Makino K, Aoi J, Masuguchi S, Amano F, Fukushima S

We studied 95 patients with infantile hemangioma (IH) treated with propranolol at the Department of Dermatology, Kumamoto University Hospital, from November 2016 to January 2022, based on sex, site, clinical classification, duration of treatment, and residual lesions after treatment. Four of the 95 patients discontinued propranolol due to side effects, and 55 completed follow-ups at our hospital. We observed that 30.1% showed complete resolution of the skin rash, while the remaining 69.8% had erythema or atrophic scarring. Complete resolution occurred in 70% of the cases with the subcutaneous type but only in 15% with the tumor type. Seventeen of the 55 patients who completed follow-ups were treated with propranolol combined with laser therapy. Combined use of propranolol and laser therapy significantly reduced severe erythema compared to the propranolol monotherapy. These results suggest that propranolol therapy in IH often leaves erythema except in the subcutaneous type and that an improvement in erythema can be expected when propranolol is combined with laser therapy.

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