Macular pucker in association with RPE adenoma: a report of a case and review of the literature

Abstract

Background: Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) adenoma is an extremely rare tumor of the posterior segment which must be differentiated from other choroidal tumors, such as choroidal nevus or melanoma. We report the case of a patient with RPE adenoma coincident with macular pucker who underwent successful pars plana vitrectomy and membrane peeling.

Patient and methods: A 58-year-old female patient was diagnosed with RPE adenoma and epiretinal membrane and subsequently underwent pars plana vitrectomy and epiretinal membrane peeling.

Results: RPE adenoma was diagnosed and, following vitrectomy with membrane peeling vision, improved to 20/20 with resolution of symptoms of distortion. Sixteen months of follow-up revealed no clinical change in the RPE adenoma and stable vision.

Conclusion: The diagnosis of RPE adenoma can be made upon consideration of unique clinical characteristics of these benign tumors. RPE adenoma may be more closely associated with epiretinal membrane than previously believed, given recent advances in imaging technology. We describe our management strategy, which included observation of the adenoma and surgical removal of the epiretinal membrane.

Keywords: Macular pucker; RPE adenocarcinoma; RPE adenoma; RPE tumor; retinal pigment epithelium.