Three-dimensional spectral-domain optical coherence tomography of melanocytoma of the optic nerve head

Abstract

Melanocytoma of the optic nerve head is a benign melanocytic lesion that usually occurs in the inferotemporal area of the optic nerve head. The uveal melanocytes emanating from the neural crest during embryogenesis are believed to be the cells of origin. These cells are present in the lamina choroidalis, the portion of the optic nerve adjacent to the choroid. The tumor is typically unilateral and stationary and rarely undergoes a malignant transformation. The condition is usually asymptomatic except when the tumor undergoes extensive necrosis or malignant transformation or is associated with the choroidal neovascular membrane [1]. Shields et al. [2] described that melanocytoma, although benign, has the capacity to cause significant visual morbidity. They reported that at 10 and 20 years, respectively 18% and 33% will lose two or more lines of vision by Kaplan–Meier estimates. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) is increasingly being used in various retinal disorders because it has high-resolution imaging capabilities. This system allows a faster acquisition time than the conventional time-domain OCT, thus allowing a larger number of images to be acquired resulting in scans of higher resolution and three-dimensional analysis [3].