Infantile Periocular Haemangioma: Optimising the Therapeutic Response.

Oral propranolol is now established as the first-line treatment for infantile haemangiomas, and used in up to 20 % of all cases. Propranolol use in infants is most commonly instigated in a controlled environment to monitor for potential serious adverse events such as hypoglycaemia and hypotension. Two test doses are recommended, the first one of 300 μg/kg followed by 2-hourly monitoring. On the subsequent day, a further dose of 650 μg/kg is administered with the same monitoring. A dose of 2 mg/kg divided into three is started from the next day. Parents/carers need to be warned of common adverse effects, of which disturbed sleep is the commonest. Treatment is recommended for up to a year to avoid rebound growth and the need to restart the treatment.