OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and clinical findings of radiation retinopathy after single-fraction high-dose gamma knife radiosurgery for choroidal melanoma. DESIGN: Retrospective noncomparative interventional case series. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-two patients with choroidal melanoma. METHODS: Review of charts, color fundus photographs, and fluorescein angiograms of 32 choroidal melanoma patients after radiosurgery. All patients were treated with the Leksell gamma knife in one fraction with a marginal dose between 40 and 80 Gy (median, 50 Gy) and were followed for at least 24 months (or until enucleation because of complications secondary to radiation). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Any clinical feature of radiation retinopathy and neovascular glaucoma. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 38 months (range, 6-81 months) we found radiation retinopathy in 84% of our patients. The most common findings in these patients were intraretinal hemorrhages with an incidence of 70%, macular edema and capillary nonperfusion in 63%, and hard exudates in 52% of the patients. Less common were microaneurysms in 30% and retinal neovascularization in 22%. The time of onset of the various radiation-associated retinal findings ranged between 1 and 22 months. Forty-seven percent of all patients developed neovascular glaucoma. In our study there was no correlation between radiation dosage applied and clinical findings. CONCLUSIONS: Single-fraction high-dose Leksell gamma knife radiosurgery of choroidal melanomas with a median marginal dose of 50 Gy is highly associated with early radiation retinopathy and with neovascular glaucoma.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and clinical findings of radiation retinopathy after single-fraction high-dose gamma knife radiosurgery for choroidal melanoma. DESIGN: Retrospective noncomparative interventional case series. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-two patients with choroidal melanoma. METHODS: Review of charts, color fundus photographs, and fluorescein angiograms of 32 choroidal melanomapatients after radiosurgery. All patients were treated with the Leksell gamma knife in one fraction with a marginal dose between 40 and 80 Gy (median, 50 Gy) and were followed for at least 24 months (or until enucleation because of complications secondary to radiation). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Any clinical feature of radiation retinopathy and neovascular glaucoma. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 38 months (range, 6-81 months) we found radiation retinopathy in 84% of our patients. The most common findings in these patients were intraretinal hemorrhages with an incidence of 70%, macular edema and capillary nonperfusion in 63%, and hard exudates in 52% of the patients. Less common were microaneurysms in 30% and retinal neovascularization in 22%. The time of onset of the various radiation-associated retinal findings ranged between 1 and 22 months. Forty-seven percent of all patients developed neovascular glaucoma. In our study there was no correlation between radiation dosage applied and clinical findings. CONCLUSIONS: Single-fraction high-dose Leksell gamma knife radiosurgery of choroidal melanomas with a median marginal dose of 50 Gy is highly associated with early radiation retinopathy and with neovascular glaucoma.
Authors: G Langmann; W Wackernagel; G Stücklschweiger; K Feichtinger; G Papaefthymiou; J Faulborn Journal: Ophthalmologe Date: 2004-11 Impact factor: 1.059