Reappraisal of astigmatism induced by periocular capillary hemangioma and treatment with intralesional corticosteroid injection.

OBJECTIVE: To document refractive status and visual acuity before and after intralesional corticosteroid injection in children with astigmatism induced by periocular capillary hemangioma (PCH).

DESIGN: Retrospective, interocular comparison, interventional case series.

PARTICIPANTS: Thirteen infants with anisometropic astigmatism of at least 1.50 diopters (D) induced by PCH.

INTERVENTION: All infants had one or more intralesional corticosteroid injections of a PCH between 2 and 10 months of age. Injections of 0.3 to 1.0 ml of a 50:50 mixture of triamcinolone (40 mg/ml) and dexamethasone phosphate (4 mg/ml) were given at a single site under deep sedation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Refraction and acuity using Teller acuity cards before and after injection.

RESULTS: In affected eyes, mean astigmatisms were 3.75 D (pretreatment) and 1.25 D (posttreatment), and mean spherical errors were 0.75 D (pretreatment) and 1.50 D (posttreatment). Reduction in astigmatism was observed within 1 to 14 months after the injection. Despite reciprocal changes in astigmatism and spherical error, the amount of anisometropia (spherical equivalent) remained constant. Amblyopia was not observed before treatment and was observed in only 2 of 13 children after treatment. Complications were limited to adrenal suppression with transient reductions of linear growth and localized eyelid necrosis.

CONCLUSIONS: Intralesional corticosteroid injections given in infancy (between 2 and 10 months) resulted in a 63% reduction in the mean amount of astigmatism induced by PCH. The reciprocal changes of astigmatism and spherical error without changes in anisometropia suggest that the treatment effect was due to restoration of the spherical shape of the cornea. Before 3 years of age, visual immaturity exceeded the optical blur related to astigmatism induced by PCH. Therefore, astigmatism, not anisometropia or amblyopia, is the immediate indication for treatment of PCH with intralesional corticosteroids. Injection of corticosteroid at a single site minimizes the potential for severe ocular complications owing to tissue pressure and tumor volume considerations.