title: Hemorrhagic retinal macrocysts, simulating choroidal melanoma: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hemorrhagic retinal macrocysts are extremely rare retinal lesions that can be mistaken for malignancy with subsequent enucleation. Such a case was diagnosed, by a retina specialist based on ultrasonography, as a choroidal melanoma with exudative retinal detachment and the patient was advised to have brachytherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 15-year-old Caucasian boy suffered sudden visual loss in the left eye and exam revealed vitreous hemorrhage. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed the mass as hyperintense on T1-weighted images and isointense on T2-weighted images with no enhancement after gadolinium dye. Following scleral buckle, the hemorrhagic retinal macrocyst collapsed gradually over a period of 5 weeks. The patient recovered visual acuity of 6/7.5 at the 1-year follow up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A hemorrhagic retinal macrocyst can be erroneously diagnosed as choroidal melanoma. Hints for the presence of retinal macrocysts include: egg shape; cyst wall configuration; no attachment to the choroid; and presence of retinal detachment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Ahmad M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mansour
authors.forename: Mahmoud O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Jaroudi
keywords: choroidal melanoma; retinal detachment; retinal macrocyst