title: Ultrasonography of metastases and melanomas of the choroid.
abstract: Choroidal metastases and melanomas are the most common intraocular neoplasms. Choroidal metastases may appear clinically similar to other amelanotic tumors, and the diagnosis may be difficult in the absence of a history of extraocular malignancy. Ultrasonography, using A- and B-mode criteria, offers an opportunity for high accuracy in the diagnosis of choroidal tumors. However, a considerable overlapping of ultrasonographic parameters, such as tumor solidity, vascularity, and choroidal excavation, has been demonstrated for choroidal melanomas and metastases. We have found that choroidal metastases are characterized by a significantly lower height-to-base ratio than melanomas, whereas reflectivity is significantly higher in metastases. Thus the combined use of height-to-base ratio and reflectivity provides a highly significant differentiation between choroidal melanomas and metastases. This observation has further improved the diagnostic value of ultrasonography in the differentiation of choroidal tumors.
authors.affiliation: University of Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sobottka
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kreissig
mesh_terms: D002830:Choroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014463:Ultrasonography