Retinal Phakomata Associated with Cerebral Astrocytoma

Abstract

We report on a 21-year-old, male patient with unilateral retinal phakomata associated with histologically proved cerebral astrocytoma. The patient had presented with bilateral loss of vision and a left-sided hemiparesis. Ophthalmoscopy showed bilateral optic nerve atrophy, multiple punched-out areas of depigmentation and astrocytic hamartomata in the right eye. Despite the absence of classic signs of Bourneville-Pringle disease such as adenoma sebaceum, epilepsy and mental retardation, a strongly presumptive diagnosis of tuberous sclerosis could be made. This unusual case demonstrates that retinal phakomata can be the solely visible manifestation of Bourneville-Pringle disease.