Association Between Choroidal Thickness and Metabolic Activity on Positron Emission Tomography in Eyes With Choroidal Melanoma

Abstract

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between subfoveal choroidal thickness and metabolic activity in eyes with choroidal melanoma.

DESIGN: Retrospective, interventional case series.

METHODS: The medical records of 16 patients with unilateral choroidal melanoma who underwent ruthenium (Ru) 106 brachytherapy with adjuvant transpupillary thermotherapy and who had available pretreatment positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) images were retrospectively reviewed. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured in tumor eyes and in unaffected fellow eyes using enhanced-depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (EDI OCT). Tumor eyes were divided into 2 groups (metabolically active and inactive) based on PET-CT findings and subfoveal choroidal thickness was compared between groups. Additionally, choroidal thickness measurements were compared before and after treatment.

RESULTS: Before treatment, mean choroidal thickness was 293.31 ± 46.80 μm in tumor eyes and 242.44 ± 65.37 μm in fellow eyes, a difference that was statistically significant (P = .003). Eyes with metabolically active tumors had a significantly thicker choroid (348.00 ± 17.32 μm) than eyes with metabolically inactive tumors (280.69 ± 42.04 μm, P = .019). In tumor eyes, mean choroidal thickness significantly decreased from pretreatment values to 253.56 ± 61.27 μm 6 months after treatment (P = .018).

CONCLUSION: Eyes with choroidal melanoma had thicker choroids than unaffected fellow eyes. Increased choroidal thickness was more prominent in metabolically active tumors. Choroidal thickness significantly decreased in tumor eyes 6 months after treatment.