Combined oral propranolol with intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide in treatment of infantile periocular hemangiomas

Aim To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of combined oral propranolol with intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of infantile periorbital capillary hemangioma. Patients and Methods This prospective interventional study included children diagnosed with periocular infantile hemangiomas in the proliferative phase with vision-threatening lesions. The children presented to the oculoplastic unit in Sohag University Hospital in the period between January 2016 and February 2017 and were treated with a combined intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide with oral propranolol, with a follow-up period of 6 months. Treatment response was evaluated according to the size of the tumor (horizontal diameter); additionally, complications of both treatment methods were recorded. Results This study included 33 infants: 21 females (64%) and 12 males (36%). The mean age at the time of injection was 4.9±2.6 months. The study included three modes of treatment response: regression of the tumor, 28 patients (85%); stabilization, three patients (9%); and failure, two patients (6%), which necessitated repeated intralesional injection of triamcinolone but with minimal response. Regarding complications, only one patient reported with subconjunctival hemorrhage during intralesional injection of steroids; there were no recorded cases of hypotension, bradycardia, or hypoglycemia during the course of oral propranolol treatment. After the end of the follow-up period, there were no reported cases of recurrent increase in the size of the regressed group of infantile hemangiomas with stable tumor size. Conclusion Combined oral propranolol with intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide is the effective method of treatment for infantile periorbital capillary hemangioma with minimal adverse effects.