Clinical characteristics and treatment response of infantile hemangioma patients treated with oral propranolol

Background: Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common benign vascular tumor in infancy. Most lesions undergo spontaneous involution, however, some cases may require treatment due to the risk of functional impairment, ulceration, or permanent disability. Oral propranolol is the current first-line treatment for IH due to its efficacy and good safety profile. However, data on the clinical characteristics and treatment response of IH patients receiving oral propranolol in Indonesia remain limited.
Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics and treatment response of IH patients treated with oral propranolol at Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital, Surabaya.
Methods: A descriptive retrospective study using the medical records of patients with IH who were treated with oral propranolol at Dr. Soetomo General Teaching Hospital in Surabaya from 2018 to 2023 was conducted. The collected data consisted of gender, age at the first medical visit, age of onset, lesion location, lesion morphology, propranolol dosage, duration of treatment, and response to treatment.
Results: Eight patients met the inclusion criteria. Most patients were female (87.5%) and presented during the post-neonatal period (87.5%). All patients had disease onset before one year of age. Facial involvement was the most common lesion location (62.5%), while plaque was the predominant lesion morphology (50.0%). The median propranolol dose was 1.5 mg/kg/day (range 1.0–2.3 mg/kg/day), and the median treatment duration was 5 months (range 1–20 months). Clinical improvement was observed in seven patients (87.5%), while one patient (12.5%) showed no improvement.
Conclusion: Most IH patients treated with oral propranolol showed clinical improvement. Female sex, onset before one year of age, facial involvement, and plaque-type lesions were the most frequently observed characteristics in this study.