Two cases of retinal hemangioma treated by transpupillary thermotherapy

PURPOSE: To evaluate transpupillary thermotherapy(TTT), the treatment was reviewed in two cases of retinal hemangioma which resisted photocoagulation. CASE 1: A 25-year-old man was referred to us for visual impairment in his right eye caused by retinal hemangioma. Although photocoagulation had been performed once in a previous hospital, the treatment was unsuccessful. His visual acuity was 0.1 OD. Ophthalmoscopic examination revealed a hemangioma located in the superotemporal peripheral retina with serous retinal detachment. We performed photocoagulation of the afferent artery and TTT of the hemangioma two times each. The hemangioma regressed and the serous retinal detachment resolved. The patient's visual acuity OD improved to 0.2. CASE 2: A 13-year-old girl was referred to us for visual impairment in her right eye caused by retinal hemangioma. Photocoagulation had been performed five times in a previous hospital, but the treatment was unsuccessful. Her visual acuity was 0.05 OD. Opthalmoscopic examination revealed a hemangioma located in the inferonasal peripheral retina with serous retinal detachment. We performed photocoagulation of the afferent artery two times and TTT of the hemangioma four times. The hemangioma regressed and the serous retinal detachment resolved. CONCLUSION: TTT is performed with a larger spot size, a longer wavelength, and a longer duration than photocoagulation. TTT could be an effective treatment for retinal hemangioma.