Three Cases of Retinal Capillary Hemangioma Presenting with Retinal Detachment

PURPOSE: Independently occuring retinal capillary hemangiomas are rare, and hemangioma associated with retinal detachment has not been reported in Korea. We report herein cases of independently occuring hemangioma associated with retinal detachment. METHODS: Three patients with the chief complaint of decreased visual acuity were underwent fundus examination, fluorescein angiogram, brain computed tomography, and then were diagnosed as retinal capillary hemangioma. Laser photocoagulation was performed as a primary therapy, and vitrectomy was subsequently performed as tractional retinal detachment developed later. RESULTS: Postoperatively, retina was reattached. CONCLUSIONS: Vitrectomy is an effective treatment for serous detachment in retinal hemangioma, but the surgery does not change the clinical course of hemangioma itself. Regular followup is necessary as hemangioma might recur and new lesions may appear.

Radiation Retinopathy after Irradiation of Intracranial Lesion

PURPOSE: Radiation retinopathy is a slowly progressive vaso-occlusive angiopathy of the retina. The history of previous radiation exposure is very essential for the diagnosis. We report one case of radiation retinopathy after the radiation therapy for brain tumor with a good result using photocoagulation and focal laser treatment. METHODS: The chief complaint of 48 aged-female patient was a slowly progressive decrease in left visual acuity. The best corrected visual acuity of right eye was 1.0 and the best corrected visual acuity of left eye was 0.5. We got the diagnosis with a detailed history taking and fluorescein angiography. We did panretinal photocoagulation on both eyes due to non-perfused area, angiogenesis, and we did focal laser treatment on right eye due to macular edema. RESULTS: Compared with previous examination, right eye was stable without any change of fundus examination and the best corrected visual acuity of right eye was 1.0 after panretinal photocoagulation and focal laser treatment, but mild vitreous hemorrahage occurred in left eye after panretinal photocoagulation. Follow-up at 6 months after laser treatment showed that hemorrahage of left eye was absorbed more than before and we did additional photocoagulation on the peripheral retina. Follow-up at 12 months after laser treatment showed that right eye was stable, angiogenesis of left eye was regressed and best corrected visual acuity was 0.5. CONCLUSIONS: Detailed history taking and suspicion is important for the diagnosis of radiation retinopathy. It is also essential to suppress the progression of the disease with an early detection through regular examinations.