ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Hematology
Comparative Efficacy of Urea, Bleomycin, and Polidocanol for Infantile Hemangioma: A Retrospective Cohort Study With Ultrasound Correlation
Provisionally accepted
- Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
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Objective: To compare the efficacy of urea, bleomycin, and polidocanol in treating infantile hemangiomas (IHs) and evaluate correlations between ultrasound features and treatment outcomes. Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed 234 IHs cases treated with urea (Group A), bleomycin (Group B), or polidocanol (Group C) between January 2020 and January 2025. Infants aged 0–3 years received two sclerotherapy courses spaced 4 months apart. Outcomes were assessed via clinical measurements, ultrasound evaluations (blood flow grade, vascular proliferation), and physician assessments. Safety and adverse events were also monitored. Results: Bleomycin demonstrated superior efficacy, with a 40% complete response (CR) rate at 6 months and no non-responsive cases. Urea showed gradual improvement over time (33% CR at 6 months), while polidocanol had variable efficacy (25% CR at 6 months). Reduction in ultrasound-measured blood flow grade strongly correlated with better outcomes (p<0.05), but vascular proliferation changes (mesh-like texture) showed no clear association.No significant adverse events were reported during the study period. Conclusions: Bleomycin is the most effective and stable sclerotherapy for IHs, particularly for rapid response. Urea may suit long-term management, while polidocanol requires cautious use. The reduction in blood flow grade, as assessed by ultrasound, is a significant predictor of better therapeutic outcomes. These findings suggest that monitoring blood flow grade through ultrasound could serve as a valuable tool for clinicians to evaluate the efficacy of sclerotherapy in real-time. As a retrospective study, these findings should be interpreted with consideration of potential selection bias. Further prospective studies are needed to validate results and optimize protocols.The study design is retrospective, which introduces potential
Keywords: Bleomycin, infantile hemangioma, Retrospective cohort study, Sclerotherapy, ultrasound
Received: 28 Sep 2025; Accepted: 02 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Dong, Shao, Guo, Li, Zhao and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Gang Wu
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