Role of Propranolol in the therapeutic strategy of infantile laryngotracheal hemangioma

There are recent reports of effective treatment of cutaneous hemangiomas with Propranolol. The current study aims to assess efficacy of systemic Propranolol for subglottic hemangiomas and to discuss its place among the other available therapies. We report 2 infants with subglottic hemangiomas, which were resistant to other established medical treatments. One infant presented with PHACES association, the other with widespread cutaneous congenital hemangiomas. Both were subsequently treated with systemic Propranolol. Both patients' subglottic hemangiomas responded dramatically to systemic Propranolol. No side effects of the therapy occurred, and a safety protocol previously designed for Propranolol prescribed for other indications was applied to our patients. Propranolol appears to be an effective treatment for subglottic hemangiomas and should now be used as a first-line treatment in subglottic hemangiomas when intervention is required. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.