title: Characteristics of anterior uveal melanocytomas in 17 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate a case series of anterior uveal melanocytomas (AUMs) for their distinct clinical, histopathologic, and high-frequency ultrasound (UBM) characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective single-center case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen consecutive patients with AUMs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of patient, tumor, UBM, histopathologic, and follow-up characteristics. Follow-up data included change in visual acuity, growth, secondary glaucoma, extrascleral extension, or malignant transformation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tumor, high-frequency ultrasound, histopathologic, and follow-up characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventeen patients had a median follow-up of 20 months (range, 1-130). Tumor was darkly pigmented with nodular configuration in 100% of patients, irregular surface in 82% of patients, characteristic cobblestone surface appearance in 59% of patients, and feathery or fimbriated margins in 88% of patients. Intrinsic vascularity, ectropion uveae, episcleral sentinel vessel, sector cataract, or heterochromia was not seen. High-frequency ultrasound showed high (71%) or moderately high (12%) internal reflectivity in the majority of tumors. Thirteen tumors (76%) involved the iris, 47% of tumors were club-shaped, and 100% of tumors showed no intrinsic vascularity. Mean tumor thickness was 1 mm (standard deviation [SD] ± 0.5, median 0.9, range 0.3-2.1 mm). Mean largest basal dimension was 3.1 mm (SD ± 2.3, median 2.3, range 0.5-9.4 mm) (n=14). Three pathologic evaluations revealed plump polyhedral cells with abundant cytoplasm, small round to oval nuclei, inconspicuous nucleoli, and finely dispersed chromatin. Two tumors had extrascleral extension, 2 tumors were documented to grow, and 1 tumor caused medically controlled glaucoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anterior uveal melanocytomas are uncommon benign melanocytic tumors with characteristic clinical features. High-frequency ultrasound imaging offers excellent views of obscure posterior extent and allows precise tumor measurement and monitoring for growth. It is an invaluable adjunct to digital slit-lamp photography for evaluating tumor stability or growth. This study presents and correlates unique clinical, high-frequency ultrasound and histopathologic characteristics.
authors.affiliation: The New York Eye Cancer Center, New York City, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Pratima
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kathil
authors.forename: Tatyana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Milman
authors.forename: Paul T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Finger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000869:Anterior Eye Segment / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006068:Gonioscopy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D033401:Microscopy, Acoustic; D008875:Middle Aged; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014604:Uveal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology