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Endocrine Abstracts (2013) 32 P1135 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.32.P1135

ECE2013 Poster Presentations Thyroid cancer (64 abstracts)

Choroidal bilateral metastases from thyroid carcinoma: report of a case and review of the literature

Leila Ahmed-Ali , Lylia Amirou & Farida Chentli


Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Bab El Oued Hospital, Algiers, Algeria.


Introduction: Metastases of thyroid carcinoma to the choroid and/or orbit are rare and usually occur at an advanced stage of the disease. The principal symptoms are decreased or blurred vision and/or persistent eye pain but they can be totally asymptomatic. They are diagnosed by ultrasound ocular CT and/or MRI scanning. The diagnosis is certain if they fix radioactive iodine. Their prognosis is very bad. Enucleation is the treatment of choice in cases of visual impairment. We report a case and will review the data in the literature.

Observation: MH 58-year-old woman treated for thyroid carcinoma with multiple secondary metastases (lung, bone, adrenal, and liver). Biopsy of a pulmonary localization was in favor of a primitive thyroid origin. Ophthalmological examination after a bone localization in the roof of the orbit showed painless palpable mass in the left orbital arch, reduced vision of the right eye. Angiography, ultrasound b, and OCT were in favor of bilateral choroidal metastases.

Conclusion: Choroidal metastases of thyroid carcinomas are rare and occur in the context of metastatic seeding. The diagnosis is made through non-invasive imaging methods. The therapeutic management is difficult because secondary lesions of thyroid origin are resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

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