Intravitreal bevacizumab (avastin) for radiation retinopathy 53 years after treatment of retinoblastoma.
OBJECTIVE
To report the successful treatment of rubeosis and an atypical polypoidal vascular lesion in a case of radiation retinopathy treated with intravitreal bevacizumab.


METHODS
A 56-year-old woman with a history of retinoblastoma treated with radiation in the right eye was followed up for a progressively enlarging lesion in the macula that was associated with subretinal fluid. The patient was examined with serial ultrasound and clinical examinations and underwent pupilloplasty on the right eye to improve the view to her fundus. Fluorescein angiography revealed a vascular lesion with prominent saccular dilations. Her subsequent course was complicated by a retinal vein occlusion, rubeosis, and decreased vision.


RESULTS
A single treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab resulted in regression of the rubeosis and atypical polypoidal vascular lesion and subjective improvement in vision, which persisted for 3 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Rubeosis and atypical polypoidal neovascularization are known complications of radiation retinopathy, and treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab may be beneficial.
From the Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Stephen J
SJ
Kim
G Baker
GB
Hubbard