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  Vol. 117 No. 6, June 1999 TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Adenoma of the Iris Pigment Epithelium: A Report of 20 Cases

The 1998 Pan-American Lecture

Jerry A. Shields, MD; Carol L. Shields, MD; Gary Mercado, MD; Kaan Gündüz, MD; Ralph C. Eagle, Jr, MD

Arch Ophthalmol. 1999;117:736-741.

Background  Adenoma of the iris pigment epithelium (IPE) is an uncommon lesion that can simulate iris or ciliary body melanoma, melanocytoma, and pigment epithelial cyst.

Objectives  To evaluate the clinical and pathological features and prognosis of adenoma of the IPE in patients managed by us and to elucidate the features that help to differentiate this tumor from iris melanoma and other similar conditions.

Patients and Methods  The medical records of 20 patients with adenoma of the IPE were reviewed, and the clinical and histopathologic features were tabulated.

Results  Ten patients were male and 10 were female, with a mean age of 60.0 years (range, 11-85 years). All patients were referred because of suspected iris or ciliary body melanoma. All lesions were solitary and unilateral. Sixteen were located in the peripheral iris; 2, in the midzone; and 2, near the pupillary margin. Clinically, all tumors were abruptly elevated, all but 1 were dark gray to black, and all had a smooth, but sometimes multinodular, surface. The tumors caused thinning or complete effacement of the overlying iris stroma, but they did not directly involve the stroma. They typically blocked light with transillumination. On ultrasound biomicroscopy findings, adenoma of the IPE shows a solid tumor pattern, sometimes with small cystoid spaces. The tumor was managed by local resection in 2 patients and observation in 18, all of whom have been stable, with follow-up ranging from 6 months to 9 years. Histopathologic examination revealed a tumor originating in the IPE consisting of cords of pigment epithelial cells separated by septae of connective tissue.

Conclusions  Adenoma of the IPE usually has characteristic features that should differentiate it from iris melanoma, ciliary body melanoma, iris melanocytoma, and iris cyst. Adenoma of the IPE is a benign tumor that may remain relatively stable for years.


From the Oncology Service (Drs J. A. Shields, C. L. Shields, Mercado, and Gündüz) and the Department of Pathology (Dr Eagle), Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pa.


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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Progressive Growth of Benign Adenoma of the Pigment Epithelium of the Ciliary Body
Shields et al.
Arch Ophthalmol 2001;119:1859-1861.
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