Pulsed dye laser and topical timolol gel versus pulse dye laser in treatment of infantile hemangioma: A double‑blind randomized controlled trial

Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common tumor during infancy that usually appears as macular and gradually becomes a plaque or tumor. Approximately, 20% of all IH cases results in adverse effects and the Pulsed dye laser (PDL) 585 nm is a vascular laser leading to selective the micro vascular damage. Results of studies on non‑selective B‑blockers (e.g., timolol) indicate their effectiveness in preventing hemangioma growth. The aim of this study is a comparison of PDL plus timolol and PDL in the treatment of IH.

This double‑blind study was carried out on 30 infants (1‑12 months old) and the patients were divided into two groups. Group A was treated with the four sessions PDL and the timolol gel 0.05% and Group B with PDL.

There were no differences in the mean age of patients for the diagnosis of hemangioma (Group A: 32.69 ± 24.64 days, Group B: 25.69 ± 21.16 days, P = 0.39) and the mean age at the start of the treatment (Group A: 148.125 ± 85.88 days, Group B: 146.25 ± 60.87 days, P = 0.94). There were a statistical difference in the mean of lesion size reduction (Group A: 17.62 ± 6.97 cm and Group B: 12 ± 5.71 cm, P = 0.018), mean percentage change in size mean (Group A: 71079 ± 23.41% and Group B: 54.59 ± 25.46%, P = 0.050) visual analog scale (Group A: 7.19 ± 1.51, Group B: 5.62 ± 1.78, P = 0.012) after treatment. There was no correlation between the time of beginning the treatment and the results (P = 0.857).

Application of timolol with PDL is accompanied by the highest efficacy, cost benefits and the short time of treatment.