title: Long-term echographic surveillance of elevated choroidal nevi.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the outcomes of choroidal nevi monitoring and to compare the detection of ultrasonographic hollowness, a risk factor of malignant transformation, from a B-scan with results from an A-scan examination.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Standardized A- and B-scan echography and ophthalmoscopy in 358 consecutive patients with median age 69 years and baseline choroidal nevus higher or lower than 1.5 mm in 51 (14%) and 307 (86%) eyes, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No growth or change in echographic or ophthalmoscopic features were found in 307 nevi with a median elevation of 0.9 mm (range, 0.7 to 1.5 mm) and a median follow-up of 6 years (range, 4 to 9 years). After 2 to 6 years, decreased internal reflectivity on standardized A-scan and ultrasonographic hollowness on B-scan were detected in 7 (18%) of 38 initially highly reflective choroidal nevi (thickness, 1.98 ± 0.37 mm); 2 (5%) nevi grew into melanoma 15 years after the first observation. Of 13 choroidal nevi (thickness, 2.75 ± 0.66 mm), with initial atypical medium to high reflectivity on standardized A-scan (100%) and hollowness on B-scan (85%), 6 (46%) were plaqued 6 to 15 months later because of the presence of multiple risk factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No changes in thickness or echographic features of choroidal nevi elevated up to 1.5 mm were recorded during the follow-up period. In initially typical choroidal nevi higher than 1.5 mm, strong agreement was detected between decreased reflectivity on standardized A-scan and ultrasonographic hollowness on B-scan found after up to 15 years of stability. The vast majority of choroidal nevi with initial atypical standardized A-scan features showed ultrasonographic hollowness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy. Electronic address: danieledoro3@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Doro
authors.affiliation: Ocular Oncology and Toxicology Research Unit, G.B. Bietti Eye Foundation, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Olympia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kotsafti
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierangela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cimatti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002830:Choroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008875:Middle Aged; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D009887:Ophthalmoscopy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography