Ocular metastasis from a rare thyroid carcinoma

Abstract

Objective: To report a case of primary thyroid carcinoma with ocular metastasis.
Methods: This is a case report of a 39-year-old male, who initially presented with a sudden painless loss of vision in the left eye and an anterior neck mass. He was initially diagnosed to have retinal detachment with vitreous hemorrhage based on ocular ultrasound. Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy of the neck mass initially revealed medullary thyroid carcinoma. Computed topography of the chest and abdominal ultrasound revealed lung and liver metastasis. Whole body bone scintigraphy also revealed bone metastasis.
Results: Patient underwent total thyroidectomy with bilateral modified radical neck dissection of the neck mass and vitreous biopsy of the left eye. Histopathology report revealed malignant carcinoma of the thyroid, medullary type while vitreous showed malignant cells from the thyroid. Patient was scheduled to undergo chemotherapy for the widespread metastasis.
Conclusions: Ocular malignancy can present in many ways, thus it is necessary to consider it as a differential for cases of retinal detachment and vitreous hemorrhage. Choroidal metastasis from malignant thyroid carcinoma is rare, more so the medullary type.