title: [Study on choroidal melanoma at the Ophthalmology Unit of the Regional Hospital of São José--Santa Catarina].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the characteristics of patients choroidal melanoma diagnosed and treated at the Ophthalmology Unit of the Regional Hospital of São José - Santa Catarina, and to show the results.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of 24 medical records of patients with a diagnosis of malignant choroidal melanoma from, March 1st 1997 to July 21st 2003, regarding: age, gender, race, symptoms and duration, diagnostic methods, performed treatment, size and type of tumor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no difference regarding gender, and the average age of patients was about 57.2 +/- 16.56 years. The tumor predominated in white people (83.33%) and low visual acuity was the most frequent symptom (83.33%). The average time from the beginning of symptomalogy up to the initial treatment was 152.12+/-114.00 days. Indirect ophtalmoscopy and ultrasound were performed in all the patients in order to diagnose the tumor. All patients underwent enucleation, because they showed large tumors (greatest basal diameter higher than 16 mm at to USG). The most frequent type was that of fusiform cells (58.5%) and the average size of the tumors was 11.8+/-4.5 mm basal diameter. Two patients presented systemic metastasis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All patients were diagnosed when the tumor was already advanced, making the visual and systemic prognostic worse and reducing the therapeutic options, and therefore were enucleated.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Astor
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grumann Júnior
authors.forename: Augusto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adam Neto
authors.forename: Gina Carriero
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Franciele
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vergini
authors.forename: Thiago de Azevedo Borges
authors.initials: Tde A
authors.lastname: de Souza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002830:Choroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D015353:Eye Enucleation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D014792:Visual Acuity