Correlation between clinical suspicion and polymerase chain reaction verification of infectious vitritis.
OBJECTIVE
To compare polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results to presumptive clinical diagnosis in patients with vitritis.


METHODS
Retrospective review of PCR laboratory records from vitreous samples.


METHODS
Fifty consecutive laboratory records of vitreous samples sent for PCR testing were reviewed. Three reviewers with uveitis training ranked the clinical suspicion of a specific diagnosis using a classification system (scale of 1 to 4) and were masked to the PCR results.


RESULTS
The degree of clinical suspicion of a particular diagnosis was significantly associated with a positive PCR result (P = .048). Higher clinical suspicion was significantly more associated with a positive PCR result compared with cases with lower clinical suspicion (P = .01).


CONCLUSIONS
If the clinical suspicion of a specific diagnosis is low, the PCR for any infectious etiology is unlikely to be positive.
Proctor Foundation, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California-San Francisco, 95 Kirkham Street, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. nisha@stanfordalumni.org
Nisha
N
Acharya
Thomas
T
Lietman
Vicki
V
Cevallos
John P
JP
Whitcher
Michael
M
Saidel
Donald
D
Stone
Jacque
J
Duncan
Todd P
TP
Margolis
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D015822:Eye Infections, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015828:Eye Infections, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000175:diagnosis; D006563:Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014126:Toxoplasmosis, Ocular / Q000175:diagnosis; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology
D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004279:DNA, Viral