Chorioretinal Coloboma Complications: Retinal Detachment and Choroidal Neovascular Membrane

To report the chorioretinal coloboma, and its association with increased risk of retinal detachment (RD) and choroidal neovascularization (CNV).

This retrospective case series included eyes with chorioretinal coloboma diagnosed between 1995 and 2014 with a focus on RD and CNV as related complications. Cases of CNV were managed with laser photocoagulation or intravitreal injection of bevacizumab. For eyes with CNV, therapeutic success was defined as resolution of the subretinal hemorrhage on fundus examination and resolution of the subretinal and intraretinal fluid on optical coherence tomography (OCT). For eyes with RD, anatomic success following surgical intervention was defined as attachment of the retina at the last follow-up visit.

Fifty-one eyes of 31 patients with chorioretinal coloboma were identified for review. Bilateral chorioretinal coloboma was present in 64.5% of subjects. RD developed in 15 eyes (29.4%). Among 15 eyes with RD, 4 eyes (27%) had retinal breaks identified within the coloboma, 5 eyes (33%) had retinal breaks outside the coloboma, 2 eyes (13%) showed retinal breaks both inside and outside the coloboma, and in 4 eyes (27%) the causative retinal break was not localized. The overall rate of anatomic success after RD repair was 85.7%. CNV developed in 7 eyes (13.7%) and was located along the margin of the coloboma in all cases. CNV was bilateral in 2 of the 5 affected individuals (40%).

RD and CNV were present in a high percentage of eyes with chorioretinal coloboma in these series. The frequent finding of retinal breaks outside the coloboma bed suggests that vitreoretinal interface abnormalities may play a role in development of RD in these eyes.