engleski

Cavernous hemangioma:successful treatment with oral prednisolone

Hemangiomas are common benign tumors of the vascular endotelium occuring in approximately 5- 10% of one-year-old infants. Most hemangiomas are uncomplicated and may regress spontaneously. Treatment should be applied to the symptomatic, potentially life- and function threatening hemangiomas or to the one that may lead to cosmetic disfigurement. Systemic corticosteroid treatment is reported effective for prob¬lematic cutaneous hemangiomas occurring in infancy. The success of treatment is depending on the dose, the duration of treatment, and the age at which the course of drugs is initiated. A 7-month-old female infant with extended cavernous haemangioma of the submandibu¬lar right region is presented. The hemangioma appeared 2 months after birth, and was gradually becoming larger every day. When she was first presented to us, she had 5 X 4 cm, sharply boarded, soft tumor with smooth surface and red-blue hue. The diagnosis was confirmed with ultrasound and computed tomography. During the fifth month of age she was treated with Nd:YAG laser. The administration of oral prednisolone (initial doses of 5 mg/kg daily and reduced in steps over 8 weeks) resulted with significant regression of the lesions and good aesthetic results. The oral corticosteroid therapy is good therapeutic choice for giant cavernous infantile hemangiomas with accelerated growth if they are initiated early in the prolferative phase of the disease.

hemangioma ; treatment ; prednisolone

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