Treatment of juxtapapillary melanomas

Thirty nine patients suffering from juxtapapillary choroidal melanoma were treated with Ru-106/Rh-106 beta-ray plaques. The tumoricidal dose was 100 Gy at the apex of the tumour within 7-14 days. Additional photocoagulation was performed in 12 eyes. The irradiated eyes of three patients had to be enucleated, seven patients died, five of them (12.8%) from metastases. Thirty two (82%) patients are alive and 29 (74%) have a seeing eye. From the whole series 20 (51%) developed flat scars and 11 (29%) patients retained a visual acuity of 0.5-1.0. Radiogenic late complications with damage to the optic nerve and macula were the main causes of visual deterioration.