Topical timolol for treatment of pyogenic granulomas in children: A case series

ABSTRACT

Background: Pyogenic granuloma (PG) is benign vascular tumour presenting as small, friable, reddish papule or nodule. Bleeding tendency of PGs warrants their removal.Various available treatment options require local anesthesia, cause pain, local side effects, scarring and become undesirable for treating children. Hence, topical beta blocker (timolol 0.5%) becomes a valuable option for treating PG in children. Method(s) We enrolled 3 healthy children aged less than 14 years with clinical diagnosis of PG for the case series. Patients with any cardiopulmonary abnormalities were not enrolled. All the patients were prescribed 0.5% ophthalmic solution, topically twice a day for 6 weeks. Due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, patients were called for follow up visits every three weeks. At the end of 6 weeks, patients were evaluated for the improvement and followed up for one year after treatment to look for any recurrences or any long-term side effects of timolol. Result(s) All three patients enrolled in the study showed partial improvement at 6weeks and complete improvement in two patients after one year. No recurrence or any long-term side effects with timolol were noted in any patient. Conclusion(s) Topical beta blocker (Timolol) is easy to administer, safe and noninvasive. It appears to have a promising role in children with no recurrences or any associated long-term side effects. Copyright © 2022 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.