Surgical treatment of an enlarging retinal cyst associated with a choroidal coloboma

The purpose of this study was to describe a case of an enlarging retinal cyst associated with a choroidal coloboma, which was treated surgically in a child.

A retrospective case report.

A funduscopic examination of a 5-year-old boy revealed a retinal cyst in the inferonasal area of the right fundus. The corrected visual acuity at initial examination was 20/40. During the follow-up period, the retinal cyst waxed and waned spontaneously. Seven years after the first examination, the visual acuity decreased to 20/1000 due to an enlarged retinal cyst, which obscured the macula and did not recover. At the 9-year follow-up, barrier laser around the retinal cyst and pars plana vitrectomy with retinectomy, internal drainage of the cyst, and 14% C3F8 gas tamponade were performed. There was a colobomatous choroidal defect at the base of the retinal cyst. The patient's visual acuity improved to 20/25, and the retina remained flat at the 2-year follow-up postoperatively.

We managed a very rare case of a retinal cyst associated with a choroidal coloboma. During the 9-year follow-up, the retinal cyst waxed and waned spontaneously. The enlarging retinal cyst that caused visual impairment was treated successfully by barrier laser and vitreous surgery. The visual acuity recovered completely.