Rebound of Involuted Infantile Hemangioma After Administration of Salbutamol

Abstract

Since the discovery of propranolol in the treatment of infantile hemangioma (IH), there has been emergent investigation of β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) signaling in IH and the mechanisms of action for which β-AR blockers regulate hemangioma cell proliferation. However, β-AR agonists and antagonists are known to act antithetically via the same intracellular β-AR-driven proangiogenic pathways. We present the case of a patient with involuted IH treated with propranolol that showed a full and rapid regrowth during the intravenous administration of salbutamol, a selective β2-adrenergic agonist, for an episode of severe obstructive bronchitis. This observation brings forward the clinical implication of β-signaling effects in IH and raises awareness of the potential proliferative response of IH to β-AR agonists such as salbutamol.