Pseudomelanoma: occult intraocular foreign body mimicking choroidal melanoma

Abstract

Purpose: To report an occult intraocular foreign body mimicking choroidal melanoma. Methods: Medical records and imagings of the patient were retrospectively reviewed.Case description: A 76-year-old male was referred to our ocular oncology clinic with a suspicious hyperpigmented retinal lesion in the left eye. Biomicroscopy showed aphakia and peripheral iridectomy in the left eye. Fundoscopy revealed a pigmented, slightly elevated lesion on the macula of the left eye surrounded by diffuse atrophy. B-scan ultrasonography showed a preretinal hyperechoic lesion with posterior shadowing. There was no choroidal mass in B-scan or optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. On further questioning, it was disclosed that the patient had been hit by an iron fragment in the left eye forty years ago.Conclusion: Choroidal melanoma is a vision- and life-threatening intraocular malignant tumour. Various neoplastic, degenerative, and inflammatory conditions can simulate choroidal melanoma. A previous history of penetrating ocular trauma should lead the surgeon to re-evaluate a diagnosis of melanoma.

Keywords

• choroid hemorrhage
• choroid neoplasms
• choroidal neovascularization
• foreign bodies
• eye injuries