Efficacy and safety of intralesional corticosteroid application for hemangiomas.

BACKGROUND/AIM There are different modalities for management of infantile hemangiomas (IHs). In this report, our aim is to evaluate whether intralesional corticosteroid treatment is associated with systemic side effects and whether this is an effective treatment modality for IH. MATERIALS AND METHODS Six children treated with intralesional corticosteroids for problematic hemangiomas were included in the study. Clinical characteristics, response to treatment, weight, height, blood pressure, morning serum cortisol, and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels were recorded. RESULTS Each child received intralesional triamcinolone at a dose of 2 mg/kg for 2-5 injections at monthly intervals. Subjects were followed for 1 year. All patients had adrenal suppression following the second or third triamcinolone injections. Five patients demonstrated partial response and one demonstrated no response. CONCLUSION Intralesional steroid injection may effectively induce the resolution of hemangiomas, but all the patients in our group had adrenal suppression after treatment. The use of intralesional steroid therapy is not a superior treatment option for hemangiomas. It also has side effects comparable to systemic steroids.