Children
Oral Propranolol Before 45 Weeks’ Corrected Gestational Age for Complicated Infantile Hemangiomas: A Retrospective Single-Center Study
By Marco Pensabene, Maria Patti, Gregorio Serra and 7 others.
Abstract
Background
Oral propranolol (OP) is the first-line treatment for complicated and high-risk infantile hemangiomas (IH). However, the optimal timing of treatment initiation in preterm infants remains uncertain, as current recommendations generally discourage administration before 45 weeks of corrected gestational age (CGA). We aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of early OP administration in selected preterm infants or term newborn with complicated high-risk IH.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed patients treated with OP for IH at a tertiary referral center between January 2023 and April 2026. Patients were divided according to CGA at treatment initiation into an early-treatment group (<45 weeks CGA) and a standard-timing group (≥45 weeks CGA). Clinical characteristics, treatment modalities, and adverse events were collected and compared between groups.