SynthesisJournal of cosmetic dermatology2026
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy and Safety of Propranolol Versus Other Drugs in the Treatment of Infantile Hemangioma.
Synthesis in Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy and Safety of Propranolol Versus Other Drugs in the Treatment of Infantile Hemangioma.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2026Pooled it
- Comparative efficacy and safety of pharmacologic, laser, and combination therapies for infantile hemangioma: a systematic review and network meta-analysis with evidence certainty assessment.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThis study aimed to systematically evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of propranolol versus atenolol, corticosteroids, timolol, and other therapies in the treatment of infantile hemangioma (IH) through a meta-analysis, thereby providing evidence-based guidance for clinical practice.
methodsA comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang databases from inception to December 2025. The protocol was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD420261294316). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or clinical controlled trials (CCTs) comparing oral propranolol with other active drugs in IH patients aged ≤ 12 years were included. Primary outcomes were overall response rate (≥ 50% reduction), complete remission rate, and incidence of adverse events. Two reviewers independently performed study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using R software. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I
resultsEight studies involving 900 patients (propranolol: 464; control: 436) were included. Meta-analysis revealed no statistically significant difference in overall response rate between propranolol and control groups (pooled OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 0.80-2.09, p = 0.30). However, propranolol demonstrated a significantly higher complete remission rate (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.01-1.82, p = 0.045). Subgroup analyses by control drug type (atenolol, corticosteroids, timolol, combination therapy) showed no significant differences in efficacy (all p > 0.05). Safety analysis indicated no significant difference in adverse event incidence between groups (OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.38-1.55, p = 0.45), albeit with moderate heterogeneity (I
conclusionPropranolol offers a statistically significant advantage in achieving complete remission of infantile hemangioma compared to other active agents, while maintaining comparable overall response rates and a similar overall safety profile. These findings support propranolol as a first-line therapy when complete lesion resolution is the primary goal. Atenolol represents an effective alternative, particularly for patients with specific tolerability concerns, underscoring the need for individualized treatment selection.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.