Cytologic and biochemical examination of the subretinal fluid in diagnosis of Coats' disease.

Two babies presenting with unilateral leukocoria were found to have total retinal detachment in one eye, associated with subretinal yellowish-white deposits. As no calcification was found and subretinal fluid aspiration yielded many fat-laden macrophages without any evidence of retinoblastoma cells in addition to a high level of cholesterol, the difinitive diagnosis of Coats' disease was made. Subsequently, retinal detachment surgery and cryotherapy were performed, in an attempt to preserve the affected eye.