Complications of cobalt plaque therapy of choroidal malanomas

We treated a small series of patients with choroidal malanomas with radioactive cobalt plaques. To assess the effectiveness of radiation, we performed radioactive phosphorus (32P) uptake determinations before and after treatment. The 32P results did not tumor destruction. In five of seven patients with posterior pole melanomas, radiation retinopathy developed after treatment with resultant decrease in vision.