Hemangiomalike masses of the retina
P. A. Campochiaro and B. P. Conway
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville 22908.
We have followed five patients, each of whom had a solitary unilateral
vascular mass of the sensory retina. The lesions were white or pink and
often had hemorrhage and exudate on their surface or surrounding area. They
appeared to be acquired, as three of the five patients were specifically
noted to have normal fundi at some time before presentation. Fluorescein
angiography and angioscopy demonstrated the masses to be composed of
numerous vessels supplied by the retinal circulation. Slow growth was
documented in one patient. Visual loss was variable and was due to
leakage-related complications, including exudative detachment, recurrent
vitreous hemorrhage, and cystoid macular edema. Four patients were treated
with cryopexy, and in all four, this successfully caused involution of the
lesions. Two patients had improvement in vision after treatment: one had
stabilization, and one had deterioration. This report provides support for
the existence of a distinct entity that we have called hemangiomalike mass
of the retina, since no histopathologic evidence is yet available (to our
knowledge). It also supports the use of judicious cryopexy to lesions
associated with visual loss.
