Evaluation of ultrasound examination informativity in diagnosing retinoblastoma

The aim of this work is to evaluate the informativity of the ultrasound (US) in detecting retinoblastoma (RB) and the local invasion of the tumor in children using modern multi-purpose ultrasound scanners.Materials and methods. This study included 108 patients (216 eyes) examined for suspected RB. RB was diagnosed in 91 patients, 60 children had unilateral tumor, 31 – bilateral tumor (122 eyes). In the remaining 17 children (20 eyes damaged), different non-tumor pathology of the eye was revealed. Among 122 eyes affected by RB, 51 were removed with subsequent histological examination. 27 eyes were removed before treatment, 24 – after chemotherapy.Results. In our study the informativity of ultrasound in detecting RB are: sensitivity – 98.4 %, specificity – 96.8 %, accuracy – 97.7 %. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in assessing tumor invasion to the anterior segment of the eye are 36.4 %, 95.0 % and 82.4 % respectively, to the vitreous body – 97.7 %, 100 % and 97.9 %, to the optic nerve – 54.5 %, 57.1 % and 54.9 %.Conclusion. US examination using linear transducers of 9–18 MHz is highly informative in detecting RB, however, some indicators of the effectiveness in assessing local invasion are not high enough, due to the technical possibilities of the method. One possible way to improve the informativity – to use deep sedation during US examination.