Perforating diathermy coagulation for retinal angiomas

Perforating diathermy coagulation can be used efficiently to destroy large angiomas of the retina. Five patients who had developed large angiomas (greater than 5 disc diameters) in association with various retinal diseases were treated with this technique. The follow-up period ranged from 1 1/2 to 7 years, except for one case in which the patient died five days after the surgical procedure. Several techniques of perforating diathermy are described, and the indications, surgical precautions, and complications of each method are discussed.