Diffuse Melanotic Lesion of the Iris as a Presenting Feature of Ciliary Body Melanocytoma: Report of a Case and Review of the Literature

Abstract 

Melanocytoma of the ciliary body is quite rare. Although the tumor is benign, it can spread to the surrounding structures, causing glaucoma and giving an erroneous impression of melanoma. We report a case of melanocytoma of the ciliary body in a 19-year-old woman who presented with diffuse melanocytic proliferation of the iris with uncontrolled secondary glaucoma and a subconjunctival pigmented mass. Fine-needle aspiration of the iris lesion and a histopathologic study of the subconjunctival mass could not rule out melanoma. Enucleation of the painful glaucomatous eye showed evidence of ciliary body melanocytoma with extension into the angle structures as well as the subconjunctival tissue. (Surv Ophthalmol 42:378–382, 1998.

Keywords:  ciliary body • cytology • fine-needle aspiration biopsy • melanocytoma •, melanoma • secondary glaucoma