Microinvasive tumor endoresection in combination with ocular stereotactic radiosurgery

OBJECTIVE The use of Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) as monotherapy in the treatment of uveal melanoma (UM) allows clinicians to achieve high local tumor control with low recurrence but does not prevent secondary enucleation due to glaucoma in cases of large tumors. The authors analyzed indications for tumor endoresection (ER), the time interval between irradiation and surgery, and the features and results of performing ER for UM after GKRS. METHODS Thirty-seven patients between 28 and 78 years of age (16 male and 11 female patients) with UM underwent GKRS with a dose of 70 to 80 Gy that was applied to the center of the tumor with complete immobilization of the eye during the procedure. Tumor resection with histological investigation was performed in 24 eyes (transscleral resection was performed in 3 eyes, and ER was performed in 21 eyes) at 3 to 97 days after GKRS, mainly during the first 2 or 3 weeks. As a rule, ER (21 eyes) was performed to treat large, centrally localized, or equatorial UMs with exuda...