Differential Diagnostic Results of Clinical Echography in Orbital Tumors

Abstract

Since 1973 the echographic department of 2nd University — Eye Clinic in Vienna performed 7980 orbital examinations. 422 orbital and periorbital tumors and pseudotumors were detected from four different examiners of our laboratory. 358 of these lesions were differentiated with standardized echography, based on a combination of standardized A-scan (7200 MA unit Kretztechnik), contact B-scan (Bronson-Turner unit) and Doppler ultrasound (Minivason 9 Kretztechnik). With standardized echography more than 99% of orbital lesions causing signs or symptoms can be detected. 85% (358 lesions) of the detected lesions (422) were differentiated into 28 different tumors or groups of abnormalities with a sensitivity of the method of 94%: 290 of the 316 verified cases were correct and 26 incorrect differentiated. Table 1 demonstrates the echographic differential diagnoses; 316 lesions were verified by operations with histology, biopsies, carotisangiographies, clinically or echographically follow up examinations etc. Twenty-six incorrect false positive cases are on the other side identical with the 26 false negative cases in the table; if a diagnostic test is false positive in a certain disease, the test on the other side does not diagnose this lesion and is present as one false negative case in this group of lesion. Six false negative cases until now are not to classify echographically and their histologic correlations see Table 2.