title: Echographic differentiation of intraocular melanomas by computer analysis.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the differentiation of histologically different types of choroidal melanomas by means of clinical and quantitative acoustic/texture parameters of echograms. Clinical parameters were graded by morphological, kinetic and quantitative statements about the A- and B-mode echograms by a skilled diagnostician. Acoustic/texture parameters were obtained by processing and analysing radio frequency, AM-demodulated and FM-demodulated echograms. The latter data were preprocessed to remove influence induced by beam diffraction and focusing. The best set of four clinical echographic parameters enabled a retrospective classification of spindle type melanomas vs. mixed+epithelioid type melanomas with an accuracy of 77% (area under the ROC-curve of 86%). The discriminant analysis performed with the best four acoustic/texture parameters (n = 30) yielded a sensitivity of 89%, a specificity of 92%, and an area under the ROC-curve which corresponds to a probability of correct classification of 96.6%. When using these data prospectively to classify tumours of unknown cell type (n = 21), this classification could be performed in 86% of cases.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ophthalmology, University of Nijmegen.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Thijssen
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Verbeek
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Romijn
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de Wolf-Rouendaal
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Oosterhuis
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D002830:Choroid Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008545:Melanoma / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography