question about steroid injection

[tullochj]

Hi,
My 10 month old daughter has a hemangioma under her left eye. We have been to a few doctors and the latest recommended treatment is a steroid injection into the H. Has anyone experienced this? What were the side effects? any other recommendations please? Thanks
Julie

[lpm]

My youngest had a steroid injection for a hemangioma just under the eye when she was 7.5 months old. For steroids to have any effect, the hemangioma must still be growing. The injection did stop the growth for about 6-8 weeks, then it started growing again (though slowly). We had similar results with oral steroids (temporarily stopped/slowed hemangioma growth).

My child did not have any side effects from the injection. She had no side effects from the oral steroids either (though some kids have problems with the oral steroids). To administer the injection, we just held her down, though some doctors prefer sedation or GA.

If it is still growing, the injection is worth a try (if the doctor is experienced with injections near the eye). If it is not growing, perhaps "wait and see" or surgery are options - depends on how large it is and if it is causing any issues.

[Riley's Mom]

My daughter had steroid injections for her scalp hemangioma - they injected it in different areas (It was as large as a baseball), every three weeks for five months. She was 5-10 months old at the time. I held her down with the help of two nurses. The side effects were a little bleeding, and a few scabs. She also had laser treatment at the same time, the two treatments together, did eventually stop the growth. At 10 months of age, we stopped seeing the laser specialist, and contacted Dr. Waner. He has been her surgeon since. At one year of age, we had the first of seven surgeries to remove it. Good Luck!

[nickbar]

It is the opinion of many top specialists that the risk of injection near the eye or facial nerve is just too risky. I would recommend contacting Dr. Aaron Fay directly from this site on ask the expert. If you have any problems, please let me know.

Corinne