title: Monitoring propranolol treatment in periocular infantile haemangioma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a tool for assessing amblyopic risk and monitoring the treatment effect of propranolol in periocular haemangioma management.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present a study of nine children with periocular haemangioma who underwent propranolol treatment at York Hospital between 2009 and 2013.A proposed measure of amblyogenic risk based on the induced anisometropia resulting from a periocular haemangioma was calculated in the form of a single quantitative value, measured in dioptres. This calculation used published work and developed it to produce a new function, termed the delta defocus equivalent (DFE-∂).Refraction measurements were retrospectively collected from patients' notes in order to measure the trend of DFE-∂ over the treatment period with propranolol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average DFE-∂ at commencement of propranolol was 1.54 (±0.62) D. The average at the end of treatment was 0.39 (±0.38) D.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This work presents a possible tool for assessing amblyopic risk in cases of periocular infantile haemangioma. The DFE-∂ gives a measure in dioptres, which may represent the true amblyopic risk, and so be useful in supporting treatment decisions in paediatric ophthalmology.
authors.affiliation: Hull York Medical School, Heslington, York, UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burne
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, York Hospital, York, UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000550:Amblyopia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D005142:Eyelid Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009918:Orbital Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D011433:Propranolol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012029:Refraction, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D011433:Propranolol