While infantile hemangiomas are not much of a GI disorder, I still thought a recent article (NEJM 2015; 372; 735-46) merited a brief mention. This trial included 456 patients who received treatment in a randomized, double-blind trial.

Key finding: “this trial shows that oral propranolol at a dose of 3 mg per kilogram per day for 6 months is effective in the treatment of infantile hemangioma.”

• Successful treatment noted in 60% compared with 4% of placebo patients.
• 88% of propranolol patients showed improvement by week 5 compared with 5% in placebo group.
• Eligible patients between 35-150 days had a proliferating hemangioma requiring systemic therapy with a minimal diameter of 1.5 cm.