Safe and Effective Treatment of Intracranial Infantile Hemangiomas with Beta-Blockers

Infantile hemangiomas are common benign vascular tumors but are rarely found in an intracranial location. Our literature review identified 41 reported cases. There is no general consensus on management of these rare lesions and until recently, treatment was limited to surgery or pharmacological mana...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPediatric reports Vol. 13; no. 3; pp. 347 - 356
Main Authors Naughton, Aoife, Ong, Ariel Yuhan, Hildebrand, Goran Darius
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2021
MDPI
Subjects
Age
Asymptomatic
Beta blockers
Case Report
Case reports
Combined treatment
Facial nerve
Hemangioma
Hypoglycemia
Interferon
intracranial infantile hemangioma
Lesions
Literature reviews
Neurological disorders
Paralysis
Patients
Pediatrics
Propranolol
Steroid hormones
Timolol
Tumors
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Summary:Infantile hemangiomas are common benign vascular tumors but are rarely found in an intracranial location. Our literature review identified 41 reported cases. There is no general consensus on management of these rare lesions and until recently, treatment was limited to surgery or pharmacological management with steroids or interferon. Although beta-blockers have been widely prescribed in the treatment of cutaneous infantile hemangiomas since 2008, their use in the treatment of intracranial infantile hemangiomas has been minimal. We present a case of infantile hemangioma affecting the right orbit, associated with intracranial extension, causing intermittent right facial nerve palsy. The patient achieved an excellent outcome following combined treatment with oral propranolol and topical timolol maleate 0.5%, with complete regression of the lesion by 4 months. We conclude that beta-blockers are a safe and effective treatment of intracranial infantile hemangiomas and can be employed as first-line management of these lesions.
ISSN:2036-7503
2036-749X
2036-7503
DOI:10.3390/pediatric13030043