A Case of Unsuspected Malignant Melanoma of the Choroid

ABSTRACT

The authors presented a case of malignant melanoma of the choroid which had been unsuspected clinically. The patient, 38-year-old female, came to Korea General Hospital on Dec. 5-1973 because of blind painful eye and white pupil in the left side. And she was told at local clinic that she had retinal detachment in that eye about 3 years ago. We thought of this case as secondary glaucoma due to swollen lens behind at first. Therefore cryoextraction of the lens was performed for relieving the ocular pain, on Dec. 5-1973. Increased I.O.P., however, had been persisted and ocular pain had not been improved until the patient entered this hospital again on Jan. 25-1974. Enucleation was performed and choroidal malignant melanoma (spindle type) was proven by histopathological study. The patient was instructive to us that we should always remind the possibilities of intraocular tumor behind the opaque media, in cases of unilateral glaucomatous blind eye with shallow anterior chamber.