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In the middle of 2008, as an incidental observation, it
had been detected that a sixty year- old drug used in
hypertension was effective against infantile haemangi-
omas. At the beginning of 2010, a study aiming to treat
50 patients was started in France. The treatment was
so effective and the study was stopped for 32 patients
and the results were published. It was widely discussed
in oral and written media. An experienced professor in
dermatology summarized this treatment as ‘the biggest
development in his 30-year-professional life’.
A patient who was about to die admitted to Baskent
University Adana Medical and Research Center in the
middle of 2010. All of the treatment modalities, from
simple to most severe ones, had been previously tried
for extensive haemangiomas in his liver. He had breath-
ing difficulty because of huge liver and he had an ap-
pearance like a baseball that he was 63 cm in height
and had an abdominal circumference which was 56 cm.
The treatment was examined and chemotherapy treat-
ment was started. After 12 weeks, his condition was
stable but not improved. At this point, in the highlight
of advanced of medical information, we gave propran-
olol to the patient. The result after eleven weeks was
amazing. There was no sign of haemangiomas. We
thought that this patient was the first one but during
the period of publication, there was another patient in
similar condition was reported 15 days ago from Italy.
We have started to give propranolol to the problem-
atic patients with haemangioma since October 2010.
Besides pediatric oncologist, treatment protocol was
IN INFANTILE HAEMANGIOMAS
A New Treatment