Aims: To report the occurrence of acute hemorrhagic retinopathy following intravitreal melphalan injection for retinoblastoma.
Methods: This is a retrospective case series of 2 patients with retinoblastoma treated with intravitreal melphalan for vitreous seeding who developed acute hemorrhagic retinopathy.
Results: Patient 1 is a 6-month-old female with bilateral retinoblastoma (Group D right eye and Group B left eye) treated with 4 cycles of systemic chemotherapy and 2 intravitreal melphalan injections in each eye. Patient 2 is a 10-month-old male with unilateral Group D retinoblastoma treated with 6 cycles of systemic chemotherapy and 2 injections of intravitreal melphalan. At the 1-week follow-up after the second injection, both patients had an acute hemorrhagic retinopathy that resulted in chorioretinal toxicity with a sharp demarcation line between the normal and abnormal retina. At the last follow-up (22 and 12 months, respectively), there was total tumor control and resolution of vitreous seeding in both patients.
Conclusions: Although intravitreal melphalan injection is effective for vitreous seeding in eyes with retinoblastoma, acute hemorrhagic retinopathy and diffuse chorioretinal atrophy is a possible complication of this treatment modality. Given the clinical findings observed in these patients, the development of this retinal toxicity most likely results from a retrohyaloid overdose. Consequently we suggest preventive measures aimed at limiting the risk of retrohyaloid injection.
Keywords: Chorioretinal toxicity; Intravitreal melphalan; Retinoblastoma; Vascular occlusion; Vitreous seeding.