Pars plana vitrectomy for vitreoretinal complications in only seeing eyes after treatment for retinoblastoma

PURPOSE: To report the outcomes of two only seeing eyes of two cases with retinoblastoma in which vitrectomy was performed to treat vitreous hemorrhage or rhegmatogenous retinal detachment after treatment for retinoblastoma. OBSERVATIONS: Case 1 was an 8-month-old girl whose bilateral retinoblastoma (group D, OU) was treated by chemotherapy and focal ablation therapy. As the tumor size increased, enucleation was required in the right eye. At 4 years of age, about 1 year after the last treatment for retinoblastoma, lens-sparing vitrectomy was performed for dense, nonclearing vitreous hemorrhage, which had occurred 6 months previously. No recurrence of the tumor was found, and the patient's visual acuity improved to 0.9 postoperatively. Case 2 was a 4-month-old boy who was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma (group D, OD; group C, OS) and underwent treatment, including systemic and local chemotherapy and proton beam therapy. Because large, regressed tumor masses were present in the posterior pole of the right eye, the left eye was the only seeing eye. At the age of 1 year 7 months, retinal detachment developed in the left eye 1 month after cryotherapy was performed for tumor recurrence. Although a scleral buckling procedure without drainage was performed, the retina was not reattached. The retina was reattached after vitrectomy with melphalan irrigation and silicone oil tamponade. However, recurrence was noted 6 months after the operation, and enucleation was required. CONCLUSION AND IMPORTANCE: Vitrectomy appears to be beneficial for the treatment of vision-threatening complications after retinoblastoma treatment. However, vitrectomy may be associated with the potential spread of tumor cells and/or tumor recurrence and therefore should be reserved as the last treatment modality for only seeing eyes. Careful postoperative follow-up is mandatory.