[Treatment of haemangiomas of infancy with propranolol; good results, few side effects]

- Infantile haemangiomas (IH) are the most commonly occurring benign tumours of infancy, which may lead to considerable morbidity, such as amblyopia, ulceration and airway obstruction, depending on localization.- Until recently, treatment was difficult: high-dose systemic glucocorticoids had limited effect and serious side effects.- In 2008, the effectiveness of the beta-blocker propranolol for infantile haemangiomas was discovered; by now there is extensive worldwide experience.- Data from the literature and from our own patient cohort (n = 132) confirm the remarkable efficacy of propranolol in complicated IH, without significant adverse effects.- Propranolol is most effective in the proliferation phase of IH in children under 6 months of age. Timely referral of patients with potentially function-threatening or life-changing IH to a specialised multidisciplinary centre is therefore essential.- Pending controlled studies, propranolol appears to have become the first choice treatment in complicated IH