title: Quantitative assessment of the blood-aqueous barrier in human eyes with malignant or benign uveal tumors.
abstract: We assessed alterations of the blood-aqueous barrier in 43 eyes with malignant melanoma (31 choroidal and 12 ciliary body), 40 eyes with benign uveal tumors, and 199-age matched normal control eyes. Aqueous flare was quantified with the laser flare-cell meter and correlated with clinical and histopathologic findings. Aqueous flare (photon counts/ms) was significantly higher in melanoma eyes (20.91 +/- 12.40) than in eyes with benign tumors (4.26 +/- 1.55) (P < .0001) and normal control eyes (3.99 +/- 1.14) (P < .0001). In melanoma eyes, clinical and histologic findings associated with significantly increased aqueous flare values were as follows: tumor height, serous retinal detachment, tumor necrosis, lymphocytic tumor infiltration, and tumor hemorrhage. Development and growth of uveal melanomas are accompanied by marked alterations of the blood-aqueous barrier. The noninvasive laser flare-cell meter may give useful additional information about malignant and benign uveal tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Küchle
authors.forename: N X
authors.initials: NX
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: G O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Naumann
mesh_terms: D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000378:metabolism*; D001693:Biological Transport, Active; D001769:Blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D002830:Choroid Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002924:Ciliary Body / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014604:Uveal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology