[Low-dose x-ray treatment of 44 haemangiomas of the lid (author's transl)].

An extent knowledge of different haemangioma forms is the prerequisite of any treatment of haemangioma. Only the blastomatous haemangioma, because of its histological substrate, has a marked sensitivity to x-radiation. The tendency towards spontaneous regression among haemangiomas is an important factor which must be taken into consideration in any treatment plan. The blastomatous haemangiomas are most radiation-sensitive during the growth phase. For this reason such treatment should be undertaken in the first two years of life and under quite specific indications. The results of low-dose radiotherapy was assessed five years after the end of treatment on 157 patients with haemangiomas (of these, 44 were of the lid). Very good to satisfactory results had been achieved in 95.5% of blastomatous haemangiomas. Radiotherapy was only little effective in juveniles and adults. These results indicate that radiotherapy is the treatment of choice for blastomatous haemangiomas.