[Ultrasonic aspects of combined hamartoma of the pigment epithelium and retina]

Abstract

The combined hamartoma of the pigment epithelium and retina is a rare developmental tumor characterized by a plaque of thickened retinal pigment epithelium, gliotic and disorganized retina, tortuous retinal and disc vessels, preretinal fibrosis. The ophthalmoscopic and fluorescein angiographic features of the combined hamartoma of the pigment epithelium and retina are widely described in the literature, while the echographic findings are very rarely reported. In the case described here A-scan echography showed that, in the tumor area, the retinal peak was separated from the choroido-scleral peak by an acoustically silent space. B-scan echography revealed a thick and detached retina. The echographically silent subretinal space corresponds to a serous detachment of the macular retina. This lesion, infrequently reported in association with the combined hamartoma, probably depends on the exudation of the retinal vessels and the traction of the hamartoma on the macula. In addition, the echography allowed us to exclude an extension of the lesion to the choroid and the sclera. The electroretinogram and the electro-oculogram were normal as in such localized lesions of the fundus.