Purpose: To investigate the indication and outcome of intralesional Pingyangmycin (PYM) therapy for parotid gland hemangiomas in early childhood.
Methods: 51 infantile patients with hemangiomas in the parotid gland were studied retrospectively, which had been treated in the clinic of West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University during the 15-year period from May 1990 to May 2005. In this study, 21 were male, 30 were female, and the ratio of male to female was 1:1.43. The age of the children ranged from 6 months to 4 years, with an average age of 10 months. 38 were deep-seated hemangiomas, and 13 were mixed hemangiomas. 27 were in the right parotid gland and 24 in the left, no bilateral case. All the patients underwent intralesional injection of a solution of 8 mg PYM in 8 mL normal saline mixed with 5 mg dexamethasone. The total dose of PYM ranged from 20mg to 35 mg, which was administered 0.5 or 1 mg per injection. SPSS10.0 software package was used to compare the treatment efficacy between the patients with hemangioma <4 cm in diameter and >or=4 cm in diameter.
Results: Hemangiomas of 42 cases (82.35%) showed complete resolution with good appearance, 8 cases (15.69%) were partly regressed, and 1 case (1.96%) had no obvious size change. No serious side effects were seen, such as pulmonary fibrosis and growth inhibition. No significant correlation was found between treatment efficacy and tumor size.
Conclusion: Intralesional PYM therapy maybe is a selective primary therapy option for parotid gland hemangioma, and ultrasonography should be useful for diagnosis and treatment of this lesion.