Bilateral diffuse iris nodular nevi. Clinical and histopathologic characterization

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Developmental Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Diffuse nodular nevus of the iris is an uncommon condition characterized by multiple verrucous excrescences on the iris surface.
• This study presents the largest clinical series to date of bilateral diffuse iris nodular nevi.

Observation:

• Thirty patients with bilateral diffuse iris nodular nevi were analyzed.
• Associated conditions included congenital cataract, neurofibromatosis, oculodermal melanocytosis, congenital ptosis, and various ocular anomalies (Morning Glory, Axenfeld, Peters).

Findings:

• Iris nodules were uniformly sized, brown, and diffusely distributed.
• Microscopy revealed plaques of nevoid cells interwoven with uveal melanocytes, suggesting a neural crest developmental variant.

Implications:

• Bilateral diffuse iris nodular nevi represent a distinct entity, potentially a variant of neural crest development.
• These nodules are clinically distinct from Lisch nodules and other pathological iris lesions.
• No ocular complications were directly attributed to the iris nodules themselves.