Treatment of Angiomatosis Retinae

ABSTRACT

Meyer-Schwickerath(1959) has successfully treated the angiomatosis tumor by means of Xenon-light coagulation with minimal damage to the affected eye ball. Though cryothenny was first tried by Lincoff et al. (1967) it resulted only in the shrinkage of the tumor. Amoils and Smith(1969) succeeded through repeated application of cryothermy to completely destory the tumor itself which was followed by disapperance of the surrounding choroidal and retinal vessels. In our case, an angiomatosis tumor in the right eye, one and a half times the size of the optic disc, was shrunk to two-thirds of the disc size by an application of cryothermy, repeated three times at minus 60 degrees C for about two minutes at varying intervals. Then the tumor was completely destroyed by means of Xenon-arc photocoagulation repeated two times each at about three weeks' intervals. In the left eye, even though the angiomatosis retinae was complicated by secondary retinal detachment, the tumors were partially destroyed by diathermy application in the same manner that ignipuncture is ordinarily done. Subsequently after reattachment of the retine by performing an encircling buckle procedure with autogenic fascia lata, the tumors were completely destroyed by means of Xenon-arc photocoagulation, with prevention of the complications of angiomatosis retinae such as secondary glaucoma or phthisis bulbi. Angiomatosis tumor can be destroyed by cryothermy but in the case of a large tumor, cryothermy will be required in repeated applications. This may cause atrophy of choroid and retina so severe that a distinct line of demarcartion between the diseased and normal retina will be formed. Therefore repeated applications of cryothermy increase the danger of rupture of the retina. According cryothermy will be effective only in the treatment of small angiomatosis tumor. In the case of a large angiomatosis tumor or other complicated condition, Xenon-arc photocoagulation is an easy and suitable method of treatment to destroy the tumor.