Preliminary results of combined simultaneous transpupillary thermotherapy and ICG-based photodynamic therapy for choroidal melanoma

square BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the combination of simultaneous hyperthermia by transpupillary thermotherapy and indocyanine green-based photodynamic therapy is an effective treatment for small and medium choroidal melanomas. square PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients with small and medium choroidal melanomas were treated with combined simultaneous transpupillary thermotherapy and indocyanine green-based photodynamic therapy. square RESULTS: The median age of the 25 patients was 64 years (range, 35 to 88 years). The pretreatment volume of the tumors ranged from 15.9 to 653.5 mm(3) (mean, 118.7 +/- 146.6 mm(3)). After a mean of 2.4 treatments (range, 1 to 5 treatments), all of the tumors but one showed a significant volume reduction without clinical evidence of recurrences. The follow-up ranged from 6 to 59 months (mean, 12 +/- 14 months). Complications included retinal vascular occlusions, edema and superficial scarring of the macula, and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. square CONCLUSIONS: The effects of combined simultaneous transpupillary thermotherapy and indocyanine green-based photodynamic therapy appears to be effective in achieving local tumor control in selected small and medium choroidal melanomas.