Treatment of a Massive Orbital-Capillary Hemangioma With Interferon Alfa-2b: Short-term Results

Several recent reports have demonstrated the efficacy of interferon alfa in the treatment of pediatric pulmonary, abdominal, and cutaneous hemangiomatosis.1,2While these conditions vary in their clinical courses, they appear to be histologically similar to orbital capillary hemangiomas.3We report the successful treatment, with interferon alfa, of a massive orbital capillary hemangioma that had been resistant to both oral and intravenous corticosteroid treatment. Report of a Case. —A 3-week-old girl born in December 1990 presented with a 1-week history of swelling of the right cheek and periorbital area. Examination revealed a fullness of the right eyelids, 2 mm of right proptosis, swelling of the right cheek, and a small superficial hemangioma on the nasal bridge. A computed tomographic scan revealed a uniform, enhancing orbital mass around the lateral rectus muscle that extended into the right cheek. See also p 1383. A clinical diagnosis of a capillary hemangioma with