A review of pseudoretinoblastoma cases at a tertiary hospital

Objective To report various intraocular conditions that mimic retinoblastoma. Methods A review was conducted of eyeballs enucleated for suspected retinoblastoma between 2003 and 2007, and referred for histopathological confirmation. The slides of cases not histopathologically consistent with the diagnosis of retinoblastoma were reexamined. Clinical records and results of neuroimaging studies were reviewed retrospectively. Results Of the 197 eyeballs examined, 182 (92%) proved to be retinoblastoma on histological exam, while 15 (8%) from 13 patients were pseudoretinoblastomas. The age of patients ranged from 4 months to 9 years, with a mean of 35.5 months. The etiologies of the pseudoretinoblastomas were as follows: persistent primary hyperplastic vitreous (PHPV) in 5 eyeballs (33%); retinal dysplasia in 3 (20%); Coats’disease, phthisis bulbi, and vitreous hemorrhage with retinal detachment in 2 (13%) each; and granulomatous endophthalmitis in 1 (8%). Conclusion The 8% erroneous diagnosis was lower than the published rates of 10 to 20%. The common etiologies of pseudoretinoblastoma were similar to those reported.