Retinal cavernous hemangioma in a newborn: an unusual presentation of a rare tumor

Retinal cavernous hemangioma (RCavH) is an uncommon, benign, vascular tumor of venous aneurysms. It can be sporadic or inherited in an autosomal-dominant pattern as part of an oculoneurocutaneous syndrome. Some affected patients are asymptomatic, and others have symptoms related to retinal dragging and vitreous hemorrhage. In the case presented here, the tumor was located in the anterior retina overhanging the ciliary body with lens involvement and heterochromia. The differential diagnosis included traumatic hemorrhage, persistent fetal vasculature, juvenile xanthogranuloma, retinoblastoma, medulloepithelioma, and others. Fluorescein angiography documented the slow-filling cavernous aneurysms of RCavH.