Histopathology of a vasoproliferative tumor of the ocular fundus

In young patients, the most frequently occurring retinal capillary hemangiomas are those that are part of the hereditary von Hippel's disease or syndrome, histologically best classified as hemangioblastomas. In older individuals, lesions of similar ophthalmoscopic appearance occur but they differ in other clinical features. On the basis of clinical characteristics and a presumed histogenesis and histopathology, Shields et al. proposed changing the name of the latter lesions from "presumed acquired hemangiomas" to the more descriptive "vasoproliferative tumors".
We describe a patient with such a vascular lesion of the peripheral retina, in whom we obtained a clinico-pathologic correlation.