Transpupillary thermotherapy for vasoproliferative retinal tumor

To report the clinical course of a patient with vasoproliferative retinal tumor (VPRT) who was treated with transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT).

A 50-year-old asymptomatic woman who had undergone fundus examination as a part of a preventive medical examination and been diagnosed with a retinal tumor in the left eye was referred to our hospital. Photocoagulation failed to inhibit progression of the massive serous detachment that accompanied the tumor, and TTT was performed with an 810-nm diode laser with a 4.0-mm spot size at 500 mW to 750 mW for 60 seconds with a 1-month interval between 2 treatments. Four and two partially overlapping laser spots were applied to cover the entire tumor in the first and second treatment sessions, respectively. As a result, the laser was applied to the tumor until the lesion become white.

The serous retinal detachment and macular edema had almost completely resolved after two sessions of TTT. Thirteen months after TTT, there was no recurrence of the tumor.

There were no complications associated with TTT for VPRT. Further follow-up of this case as well as accumulative data from other case reports is still needed, but TTT may be effective for treating VPRT with severe retinal detachment.