Tag Archives: infantile hemangioma

Hepatic Tumor Pointers

Posted on by

A grand rounds report (CK McLean et al. J Pediatr 2018; 193: 245-48) focuses on the presentation of a rare tumor in a neonate, angiosarcoma.  A few pointers from the discussion:

  • The most common benign hepatic vascular tumors are congenital hemangiomas and infantile intrahepatic hemangiomas (IHH)
  • The AAP dermatology section recommends assessing for hepatic lesions when there are 5 or more cutaneous hemangiomas.  The risk of a hepatic hemangioma may be 23%, according to one study, when there are >5 cutaneous hemangiomas or one large cutaneous hemangiomas.
  • “Consumptive hypothyroidism is a unique characteristic in some IHH.” This is due to tumor expression of a type 3 iodothyronine deiodinase enzyme which inactivates thyroid hormone.

Related blog post:

Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon

Infantile Hemangioma -Propranolol Effective

Posted on by

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.