Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of plaque radiotherapy (PRT) on choroidal melanoma. Methods PRT was performed on 21 patients (21 eyes) with chroidal melanoma who had been examined by ophthalmoscopy, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), and B-scan echography. The visual acuity was le;0.05 in 3 eyes, 0.06-0.2 in 4 eyes, and ge;0.3 in 14 eyes before the treatment. Choroidal melanoma, round or oval brown solid hunch, was located at the area around macula in 7 eyes, around the optic disc in 7 eyes, at or near the vascular arcade in 5 cases, and at the periphery in 2 eyes. The maximum length、width and thickness of tumor was 13 mm, 11.6 mm, and 9.59 mm. The isotope we used was125I, and the quantum of designed radiation was 100-120 Gy. Fourteen patients with choroidal melanoma at the macular area or around the optic disc underwent plaque radiotherapy associated with transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT). The average follow-up duration was 12 months with the longest duration of 3 years. The basis and thickness (height) of tumors were measured by B-scan echography. The aggrandizement of the tumor would be regarded if the height increased 15% or the basis boundary aggrandized 250mm. Results The visual acuity after the treatment decreased in 9 eyes, remained unchanged in 10, and increased in 2. The dimension of tumo increased in 6 eyes, remained unchanged in 12, and decreased in 3. The complication was vitreous hemorrhage in 2 eys, vascular occlusion in 1, branch retinal venous occlusion in 1, macular pucker in 1, retinal hemorrhage in 3, partial optic atrophy in 3, neovascular glaucoma in 1, and extraction of eye in 3. Conclusion The domestic plaque design is effective on choroidal melanoma, and is of a sort on the thick tumor and the tumor located at macula or beside the optic disc. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2006, 22: 157-160)