Bacillary layer detachment with malignant choroidal tumors: a case series

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Oncology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Choroidal malignancies, including metastasis and melanoma, are common eye tumors.
• Bacillary layer detachment (BALAD) is a newly recognized finding in the choroid.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence and characteristics of BALAD in choroidal metastasis and melanoma.
• To describe the spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) features of BALAD.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of eyes with choroidal metastasis or melanoma.
• Review of fundus photography and spectral domain OCT scans.
• Qualitative evaluation of BALAD presence, location, and OCT features by two graders.

Main Results:

• BALAD occurred in 54.5% of choroidal metastasis cases and 14.3% of choroidal melanoma cases.
• BALAD was associated with subretinal fluid in all cases and intraretinal fluid in one-third.
• OCT showed higher reflectivity and hyperreflective particles within BALAD in most cases.

Conclusions:

• BALAD is a frequent finding in choroidal metastasis.
• Specific OCT features aid in recognizing BALAD in choroidal malignancies.