OUTCOMES of CRYOTHERAPY for the TREATMENT of RETINOBLASTOMA in 92 CONSECUTIVE PATIENTS.

Abstract

Purpose:To report the incidence, risk factors, clinical course, and visual outcomes of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and vitreous hemorrhage (VH) after cryotherapy for retinoblastoma. Method(s):A single-center retrospective review of patients treated with cryotherapy for retinoblastoma between January 2013 and December 2022. Result(s):Of 124 eyes in 92 patients treated with cryotherapy, RRD developed in 7 (6%) and VH in 9 (7%) eyes. RRD persisted in one eye (<1%) and VH in five eyes (4%), while RRD and VH resolved spontaneously in remaining eyes. Increased cryotherapy applications were associated with VH risk (P < 0.01) but not with RRD. Cryotherapy recipients who had also received intraarterial chemotherapy (n = 50) were associated with VH risk (P = 0.01). Management for persistent complications were referral for scleral buckling (1 RRD), observation (1 VH), or enucleation (4 VH: three tumor progression and one no retinal view). Cryotherapy-induced visual loss occurred in one RRD (<1%, baseline vs. final visual acuity: 20/20 vs. 20/40) and in one VH (<1%, enucleation due to no view). Baseline vision was preserved in most of the globe-salvaged cases. Conclusion(s):Complications post-cryotherapy in retinoblastoma management were rare. Increased cryotherapy applications may increase the risk of VH, but cryotherapy-related visual loss was rare. Copyright © 2025 by Ophthalmic Communications Society, Inc.