[Treatment of secondary retinal detachment in von Hippel-Lindau disease]

In the last 16 years, 8 patients (9 eyes) with secondary retinal detachment in von Hippel-Lindau disease were treated. The methods of treatment depended on the size and number of vascular tumours and on the extent and type of retinal detachment. The retina was successfully reattached in 4 eyes. In 4 eyes with the total retinal detachment, our treatment was uneffective. One patient is treated till now. The best results were observed when the tumours were small and single and the retinal detachment extended to less than 1 quadrant of the fundus of the eye. The successful therapy is conditioned by the complete destruction of the tumour. The treatment of the large retinal detachment, in spite of using different methods, is very often difficult and unsuccessful.