Propranolol-resistant infantile haemangiomas

Abstract

Backround Propranolol is now widely used to treat severe infantile haemangiomas (IHs). Very few cases of propranolol-resistant IH (PRIH) are mentioned in the literature. Objectives To describe the characteristics of PRIHs. Methods A national, multicentre, retrospective, observational study was conducted from February 2011 to December 2011. All patients with PRIH evaluated by the members of the Groupe de Recherche Clinique en Dermatologie Pédiatrique from 1 January 2007 to 1 December 2011 were eligible. Results Among 1130 patients treated with propranolol for infantile haemangioma, 10 (0·9%) had PRIHs. Haemangioma propranolol resistance was observed at all ages during early childhood and at any proliferation stage. Conclusions PRIH is a rare phenomenon that raises questions and merits further investigation. What's already known about this topic? Although propranolol has been shown to manage infantile haemangiomas effectively, some rare resistant lesions exist. What does this study add? Propranolol-resistant infantile haemangiomas are rare: 10/1130 (0·9%) in our study. Resistance was observed in proliferative- and post-proliferative-phase haemangiomas. © 2013 British Association of Dermatologists.