Surgical management of melanocytoma of the ciliary body with extrascleral extension.

Abstract

We treated four white women with extrascleral extension of suspected ciliary body melanomas with a modified block excision (three patients) or enucleation (one patient). Light and transmission electron microscopy established the diagnosis of ciliary body melanocytoma with extrascleral extension in each patient. Two eyes were irradiated before block excision. Block excision involved simultaneous removal of full-thickness cornea and sclera, iris, and ciliary body with tectonic corneoscleral grafting. The postoperative visual acuity of the three patients treated with a modified block excision was 20/25, 20/50, and 20/60, respectively. No patient experienced local tumor recurrence (30 to 60 months of follow-up). The two irradiated eyes eventually developed radiation-associated complications. After three years the other block excision patient had visual acuity of 20/25. Ciliary body melanocytoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of pigmented tumors of the anterior uvea with extrascleral extension. En bloc excision with simultaneous full-thickness corneoscleral resection is indicated in circumscribed ciliary body tumors, especially when extraocular extension is present.