Incidence of radiation retinopathy after high-dosage single-fraction gamma knife radiosurgery for choroidal melanoma.

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.