Intralesional steroid injections (ISI) are a widely used technique for various pediatric indications and represent a possible adjuvant treatment for anastomotic esophageal strictures. Yet, no consensus has been reached neither on their safety in the pediatric population or their effectiveness in esophageal atresia patients. This systematic review aimed to assess the safety of ISI in young children through a meta-analysis and to summarize the current knowledge on the effectiveness of ISI in anastomotic esophageal strictures.

A systematic literature search was performed in Embase, Medline, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Google Scholar up to August 16 2021. Studies focusing on ISI and involving children up to 2 years were included in the meta-analysis for the safety assessment. All studies evaluating the use of ISI as adjuvant treatment in anastomotic esophageal strictures in children were included in the systematic review to assess the effectiveness of the intervention.

The literature search yielded 8,253 articles. A total of 57 studies were included, of which 55 for the safety and five for the effectiveness assessment. The overall complication rate was 7%, with a greater incidence of local complications compared to systemic complications. Six studies (with a total of 367 patients) evaluated adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol levels, of which four reported hypothalamic-pituitary axis suppression. Two children (0.6%) received replacement therapy and all patients recovered uneventfully. A mean number of 1.67 ISI were performed per esophageal atresia (EA) patient. A reduction of needed dilatations was seen after ISI, compared to the number of dilatations performed before the intervention (5.2 vs. 1.3).

The insufficient data emphasized the need for further prospective and comparative studies. Results from this meta-analysis and systematic review address ISI as a safe and effective technique. Close clinical follow-up and growth curve evaluation are advisable in patients receiving ISI.

PROSPERO, identifier: CRD42021281584.

To systematically review the literature for corticosteroid treatment of periorbital haemangioma of infancy (HOI) and determine the relative efficacy and safety of oral, topical and intralesional corticosteroids.

PubMed and the Cochrane Library were queried using keywords, and further articles were obtained by reviewing bibliographies. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to create a subset of literature for analysis.

Systematic review revealed 81 original reports of periorbital HOI cases treated with steroids. Most studies and case series failed to document refractive error or visual acuity before and after treatment. Of cases meeting inclusion criteria, five patients received topical steroids and 25 patients received intralesional steroids. Patients receiving intralesional injections tended to demonstrate reduced astigmatism at follow up after treatment (21 of 28). The lack of studies with relevant objective ophthalmological end points prevented statistical meta-analysis.

Intralesional injections may reduce refractive error, while the efficacy of topical steroids is unclear. Studies measuring objective ophthalmic data before and after treatment are sparse, and more studies are needed to determine the relative efficacy of different steroids. There are insufficient data to estimate the incidence of steroid side effects in patients treated with steroids for periorbital HOI or complications of intralesional injections in particular.

Hemangioma and venous lymphatic malformation are the two most common orbital vascular lesions occurring in the pediatric patient. MR imaging precisely delineates and characterizes these lesions and thus plays an important role in their diagnosis and management. This article discusses the characteristic clinical and imaging findings of hemangiomas and venous lymphatic malformations and the controversies regarding the origin and nomenclature of vascular lesions.

The purpose of this paper is to review the effect of intralesional corticosteroid therapy in the treatment of 155 head and neck hemangiomas.

In the past 10 years, we have treated 155 proliferating head and neck hemangiomas with intralesional corticosteroid injections. Three to 6 injections of triamcinolone acetonide (10 mg/mL) in monthly intervals were given. Using slides and chart review, the results were assessed 1 month after completion of the treatment.

Eighty-five percent of the lesions showed greater than 50% reduction in volume. Varied treatment response was noted in different classes of hemangioma. Eighty percent of the superficial, 75% of the deep, and 60% of the combined hemangiomas show more than 50% reduction in volume. Further growth was not found after treatment. The postinjection complication rate was 6.4% in this series. There were 2 patients with cushingoid appearance, 5 with cutaneous atrophy, and 3 suffered from anaphylactic shock. We found that lesions showing less than 50% reduction in volume were located mostly in the perioral area.

Intralesional corticosteroid injections are safe and effective in arresting hemangioma proliferation. Superficial hemangiomas yield the best results.

The infantile subglottic hemangioma can be treated in various ways. The results of the treatment used in the Sophia Children's Hospital, intralesional steroids and intubation (IS + I), are discussed and compared with the results of other current treatment methods: CO2 laser vaporization, submucous resection and intubation alone. A total of 18 infants were treated for subglottic hemangioma in our hospital: ten with IS + I alone, five were first treated with systemic therapy and later with IS + I alone and three with various therapies. IS + I was effective in 14 of the 15 patients, one patient was lost from follow up. The remaining three infants were treated with (combinations of) various therapies, because IS + I failed or was not tried. Two patients were finally cured, one still has a tracheotomy. Of other current therapies, CO2 laser vaporization is reported to be effective. In all 30% of the infants treated in Boston Children's Hospital with CO2 laser needed a tracheotomy. Moreover subglottic stenosis is a serious complication. Submucous resection is often successful. It may be complicated by subglottic stenosis and in some cases, depending on the localization of the hemangioma, it may be contraindicated. Intubation alone is less effective than intubation combined with intralesional steroids. Management of subglottic hemangioma in Sophia Children's Hospital is primarily intralesional steroids and intubation and secondarily submucous resection or tracheotomy. CO2 laser vaporization is seldom applied because of the risk of subglottic stenosis.

A longitudinal study of 27 patients with infantile haemangiomas is reported. It confirmed the efficacy of local steroid injection as a method of treatment; 81.5% of patients showed a marked improvement, with the lesion reducing to 25% or less of its original size. Involution was most marked in the first two weeks but continued for up to four months after injection. Amblyopia was present in 43% of children and was usually the result of induced refractive error rather than obstruction of the visual axis or strabismus. Anisometropia was found in 68% of children, with a high incidence of asymmetric astigmatism on the side of the haemangioma. Following local steroid injection a marked reduction in astigmatism was noted in 53.8% of children, a lesser reduction in 15.4%, and no reduction in 30.8%. Successful treatment of the haemangioma, therefore, may not remove the risk of amblyopia, and regular refraction and visual assessment remain mandatory.

Cutaneous hemangiomas are present in 2.6% of all newborn children. Conservative management is the preferred method of treatment, and only cases with a high risk of complications should be treated. Periocular cutaneous hemangiomas have been associated with ophthalmic complications in 41%-100% of such cases. Intralesional steroids are frequently used by ophthalmologists for treatment of periocular hemangiomas. We present a case of cutaneous hemangioma treated with this modality. No previous cases have been reported in the dermatologic literature. A review, description, and complications of the use of intralesional steroids in hemangiomas are included.