Far fewer children undergo operations for strawberry marks
Since 2008, Aarhus University Hospital has been treating children with a form of hemangioma – often referred to as strawberry marks – with a beta-blocker called propranolol. This has halved the number of children requiring an operation for the annoying hemangioma, according to the research project.
Almost one in every ten babies develops haemangioma or strawberry marks within the first 1-2 weeks after birth. The haemangiomas are typically located in the head and neck region and can be very painful for the child. A study from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital shows, however, that a new type of treatment has markedly improved the prognosis for these children:
"We can see that today we only operate half as many children as before 2008, when French researchers by chance discovered that beta-blockers are an effective remedy for strawberry marks. Now, almost eighty per cent of all children with strawberry marks can be treated medically, so that the mark disappears much faster than before," says clinical associate professor and consultant Tine Engberg Damsgaard from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital.
"The beta blocker has proved to be both fast and effective in treating strawberry marks, which is a great relief for both children and parents because we now have an effective method of treatment against the both unsightly and annoying strawberry marks, which in the worst cases cover up to half of the face," she explains.
Tine Engberg Damsgaard has led the study in which the researchers have followed children treated between 1995-2012 at Aarhus University Hospital’s Centre for Vascular Anomalies, which deals with some of the most severe cases of strawberry marks. Only 36 children have undergone operations in Aarhus since the treatment with propranolol was introduced.
More are cured before starting school
A strawberry mark is a benign tumour which expands the tissue it grows in, so that parts of the face swell and become reddish. Strawberry marks can also occur on the body and in the nappy region.
For many years there was no effective treatment for strawberry marks, so that both parents and children often had to be patient and wait until the marks decreased over time. The worst affected children received treatment with lasers or corticosteroid, but there were a number of side effects with these treatments, explains Tine Engberg Damsgaard.
"Most strawberry marks disappear slowly as the child grows older. In the most severe cases, where the strawberry mark for instance becomes so large that it affected the child’s vision or deforms their face, we were forced to operate in order to correct the damage. That is very seldom necessary today," she says.
For 70 per cent of the affected children, the strawberry marks have disappeared by the time they reach the age of seven. For 90 per cent, they are gone by the age of nine.
"With the new treatment strategy, far fewer children have remains of a strawberry mark on their face when they start school. It is, of course, extremely positive that we have been able to help so many children who would otherwise have permanent damage to their face in such a simple way that is even almost free of side effects," says Tine Engberg Damsgaard.
The results of the study have been published in the recognised scientific journal European Journal of Plastic Surgery.
Contact
Research Coordinator, Consultant, Clinical Associate Professor, PhD Tine Engberg Damsgaard
Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine and
Aarhus University Hospital, Department of Plastic Surgery
Mobile: +45 4043 6377