Posterior Vitreous Detachment and the Associated Risk of Retinal Toxicity with Intravitreal Melphalan Treatment for Retinoblastoma.

Background/aims: The presence of a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) may play a role in the development of severe retinal toxicity following intravitreal melphalan (IVM) injection for vitreous seeding. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of PVD in retinoblastoma eyes and its association with retinal toxicity after IVM.

Methods: We reviewed 112 eyes of 81 retinoblastoma patients with B-scan images available for review from 2010 to 2017. A cohort with vitreous seeding treated with IVM was compared to a cohort that did not undergo injection. The primary outcome measure was the presence of PVD at diagnosis and after treatment. Secondary measures included IVM-associated retinal toxicity and other ocular complications.

Results: The incidence of PVD was 20% at diagnosis, and in eyes with B-scans available both at diagnosis and after treatment 18% of eyes developed a PVD over the course of therapy, more frequently after IVM ( = 0.05). Of 34 eyes receiving IVM treatment, the incidences of posterior segment toxicity and globe salvage were similar between eyes with and without PVD ( = 0.4015 and 0.52, respectively).

Conclusion: In this cohort of patients, there did not appear to be an association with the presence of PVD during IVM and the development of retinal toxicity.