title: Presenting signs of retinoblastoma in Congolese patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the relative frequency of the signs of presentation in Congolese children with retinoblastoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was undertaken of all (29) patients with retinoblastoma examined between January 1995 and December 2000.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 19 (66%) boys and 10 (34%) girls. For all cases, mean age at diagnosis was 2.94 years +/- 1.6 (range, four months to six years). For bilateral cases, it was 1.12 year +/- 1.4 (range, two months to three years) whereas for unilateral cases it was 3.23 years +/- 1.5 (range, four months to six years) (P = 0.016). More than seven distinct signs were identified. Leukocoria was the most common presenting sign in 49% of diagnosed cases followed by proptosis (28%). Other signs were strabismus, red eye, anterior scleral staphyloma, hyphema and buphthalmia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Strabismus seemed to be uncommon whereas proptosis is important in our small series when compared to signs reported in the developed world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Kinshasa, D R Congo.
authors.forename: Wa Kaimbo D
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Kaimbo
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Mvitu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Missotten
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D044383:Black People; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003223:Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019572:Retinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012175:Retinoblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution