Purpose: The purpose of this study is to report the clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes in three patients diagnosed with vasoproliferative tumors (VPTs).
Methods: A retrospective, single-center case series was conducted, and retinal findings from three cases were documented by clinical examination and multimodal imaging.
Results: Three patients presented with an elevated, yellow-white retinal lesion located at the peripheral retina and extensive retinal exudation. All three patients were closely monitored, and tumor-associated features included lipid exudates, cystoid macular edema (CMO), pre-retinal fibrosis and epi-retinal membrane (ERM). Clinical management relied on observation, cryotherapy, laser photocoagulation, intravitreal steroids and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment. Despite different clinical courses, two patients underwent vitreo-retinal surgery to address VPT-related complications of macular hole and vitreo-macular traction, whereas a patient underwent phacoemulsification to treat steroid-induced cataract.
Conclusion: VPTs are uncommon benign vascular tumors and usually located at the infero-temporal peripheral retina. Close observation and early diagnosis of VPTs are of great importance in preventing vision-threatening complications and ensuring the best final visual outcome. The optimal treatment has yet to be defined due to lack of multi-center clinical studies. Despite the availability of less invasive therapeutic interventions, however, our case series show that pars plana vitrectomy is sometimes the most appropriate choice to restore visual acuity.
Keywords: Cryotherapy; Cystoid macular edema (CMO); Epiretinal membrane (ERM); Pars plana vitrectomy (PPV); VPT-related complications; Vasoproliferative tumors (VPTs).
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.