[A case of choroidal metastasis from bronchial atypical carcinoid tumor (well-differentiated neuroendocrine cell carcinoma)].

We describe a case of choroidal metastasis from bronchial atypical carcinoid tumor (well-differentiated neuroendocrine cell carcinoma). In this report, we compared the images of indocyanine green infrared fluorescence angiography (IA) to the histological appearance of the metastatic tumor. A 48-year-old male patient presented with metastatic choroidal tumors in both eyes. The IA findings revealed high intensity of fluorescence in the center of the tumor, but low intensity at the edge. Afterwards, the patient underwent enucleation of his left eye because of secondary glaucoma. Microscopic examination of the resected eyeball disclosed two histological patterns: one was that of typical carcinoid tumor; the other atypical carcinoid tumor. In addition, the tumor blood vessels had proliferated more densely in the center of the tumor than at the edge. Only two case reports in the English literature, as for as we know, have previously described the precise histological examination of both choroidal metastasis and primary bronchial carcinoid tumor. This case suggests that the extraordinary IA images are caused by the histologic character of the metastatic tumor: 1. rich vascularity, 2. variety of distribution of the tumor vessels.