PURPOSE: Previously reported clinical outcomes after treatment of congenital iris cysts have been poor, complicated by cyst recurrence and vision loss. Our purpose was to evaluate the outcomes of surgical excision and microdiathermy of congenital iris cysts. DESIGN: Interventional retrospective case series. METHODS: Four patients (3 children, 1 adult) were treated for a congenital iris cyst based on history and clinical presentation. After cyst excision with caution to avoid cyst rupture, the base of the cyst was treated with microdiathermy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Presence or absence of a residual cyst after surgical intervention. RESULTS: In all 4 patients, histopathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of a congenital iris cyst. Follow-up periods ranged from 1.4 to 6.2 years (mean +/- standard deviation, 4+/-2). Vision loss did not occur in any of the treated eyes. No cyst recurrence was noted after initial surgical treatment. CONCLUSION: A modern microsurgical technique with adjunctive use of microdiathermy provides improved outcomes in the surgical management of congenital iris cysts. We believe that microdiathermy applied to the base of the cyst removes residual epithelial tissue that accounted for the recurrences documented in previous reports.
PURPOSE: Previously reported clinical outcomes after treatment of congenital iris cysts have been poor, complicated by cyst recurrence and vision loss. Our purpose was to evaluate the outcomes of surgical excision and microdiathermy of congenital iris cysts. DESIGN: Interventional retrospective case series. METHODS: Four patients (3 children, 1 adult) were treated for a congenital iris cyst based on history and clinical presentation. After cyst excision with caution to avoid cyst rupture, the base of the cyst was treated with microdiathermy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Presence or absence of a residual cyst after surgical intervention. RESULTS: In all 4 patients, histopathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of a congenital iris cyst. Follow-up periods ranged from 1.4 to 6.2 years (mean +/- standard deviation, 4+/-2). Vision loss did not occur in any of the treated eyes. No cyst recurrence was noted after initial surgical treatment. CONCLUSION: A modern microsurgical technique with adjunctive use of microdiathermy provides improved outcomes in the surgical management of congenital iris cysts. We believe that microdiathermy applied to the base of the cyst removes residual epithelial tissue that accounted for the recurrences documented in previous reports.