Metka Sluga
Pediatrična klinika, Univerzitetni klinični center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Orjana Velikonja
Pediatrična klinika, Univerzitetni klinični center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia Univerza v Ljubljani, Medicinska fakuleta, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Daša Gluvajić
Klinika za otorinolaringologijo in cervikofacialno kirurgijo, Univerzitetni klinični center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Univerza v Ljubljani, Medicinska fakuleta, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Malena Aldeco
Služba za pljučne bolezni, Pediatrična klinika, Univerzitetni klinični center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Abstract

Haemangiomas are the most common benign tumours in childhood, but they rarely affect the subglottis. A subglottic infantile haemangioma should be considered in cases of stridor in an infant or young child, especially if recurrent, accompanied by a hoarse cough, and particularly if there are concomitant skin haemangiomas. The preferred diagnostic method is endoscopy of the upper airways, which reveals a typical vascular lesion. The primary pharmacological treatment is oral beta-blockers, usually administered until at least the first year of life, when the natural course of infantile haemangioma enters the involution phase. This paper presents a case of a one-month-old girl with cutaneous-mucosal haemangiomas in the lower face area, in whom a subglottic haemangioma was diagnosed after the onset of stridor.

Key words: infantile haemangioma, stridor, propranolol, airway obstruction, vascular tumours, subglottic lesions