BACKGROUND: Studies have confirmed three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound as a practical diagnostic tool in examining the eye and orbit and suggest its routine clinical use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 3-D ultrasound was prospectively performed in 46 patients (46 eyes) with various ocular diseases. In six large choroidal melanomas the tumor volume were measured by 3-D ultrasound and compared to that measured by MRI and to that calculated by a theoretical formula. To assess the reproducibility of volumetry by 3-D ultrasound the volumes of such three intraocular tumors were measured ten times using ten different virtual sectioning planes and a section thickness of 0.5 mm and/or 1.0 mm. RESULTS: 3-D ultrasound allows the precise assessment of complex three-dimensional structures. Choroidal melanoma volumes measured by 3-D ultrasound, MRI, and theoretical calculation were in the same range. CONCLUSION: Intraocular tumor volume can be measured well by 3-D ultrasound,which may be of clinical importance in follow-up examinations.
BACKGROUND: Studies have confirmed three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound as a practical diagnostic tool in examining the eye and orbit and suggest its routine clinical use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 3-D ultrasound was prospectively performed in 46 patients (46 eyes) with various ocular diseases. In six large choroidal melanomas the tumor volume were measured by 3-D ultrasound and compared to that measured by MRI and to that calculated by a theoretical formula. To assess the reproducibility of volumetry by 3-D ultrasound the volumes of such three intraocular tumors were measured ten times using ten different virtual sectioning planes and a section thickness of 0.5 mm and/or 1.0 mm. RESULTS: 3-D ultrasound allows the precise assessment of complex three-dimensional structures. Choroidal melanoma volumes measured by 3-D ultrasound, MRI, and theoretical calculation were in the same range. CONCLUSION: Intraocular tumor volume can be measured well by 3-D ultrasound,which may be of clinical importance in follow-up examinations.