Disciform choroidal melanoma.
BACKGROUND
The clinical and histopathologic findings in a hemorrhagic lesion involving the right macula of a 77-year-old man are presented. Clinical and fluorescein angiographic evaluation of the lesion led to a diagnosis of subretinal neovascular membrane secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The membrane was judged to be amenable to surgical excision and was excised.


METHODS
Histopathologic and immunohistochemical studies were performed on the excised tissue.


RESULTS
The lesion was a small, epithelioid cell choroidal melanoma.


CONCLUSIONS
Newer surgical techniques for AMD may tend to preclude watchful waiting in the diagnosis of unusual hemorrhagic lesions in the macula, thereby increasing the importance of histopathologic examination of any tissue removed during such procedures.
Department of Ophthalmology, Pennsylvania Lions Vision and Research Center, Penn State University, College of Medicine, Hershey 17033.
J W
JW
Sassani
G
G
Blankenship
D000368:Aged; D001918:Brachytherapy; D002830:Choroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D015861:Retinal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D014792:Visual Acuity