Iridocyclectomy for melanomas of the ciliary body: a follow-up study of pathology and surgical morbidity.

With respect to the effect of surgical treatment upon the eye and the subsequent tumor behavior, 107 cases of ciliary body melanoma treated by iridocyclectomy were studied. Surgically induced complications are discussed; 6% of the patients operated on culminated in enucleation, and 42% of the patients had a final postoperative visual acuity of 20/40 or better. Pathologically, most of the cases were spindle cell A or B; a few were mixed or epithelioid type. Histologic evidence of incomplete excision did not regularly predict recurrence in the interval of observation. Cell type is the primary prognostic feature. Local complications such as recurrence of tumor, or the rare metastasis occur early.