scholarly journals Uveal Melanoma Identified as Ocular Mass on Point-of-care Ultrasound

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 367-368
Author(s):  
Hannah Spungen ◽  
Daniel Weingrow

Case Presentation: A 41-year-old man presented to the emergency department with five months of progressive monocular vision loss in his right eye, which he described as a gradually descending and enlarging black spot. He had no light perception in his right eye with elevated intraocular pressure and an afferent pupillary defect, while his left eye visual acuity and pupillary exam was normal. Point-of-care ultrasound demonstrated a hyperechoic, pedunculated mass in the posterior chamber of his right eye, consistent with a diagnosis of ocular melanoma. Ophthalmology scheduled the patient for an elective, right eye enucleation the following week, after which a diagnosis of uveal melanoma (UM) was confirmed on histopathology. Discussion: Uveal melanoma is an uncommon diagnosis that requires prompt intervention and surveillance due to the possibility of distant metastases arising in up to 50% of patients. Emergency department diagnosis of UM may be confounded by features of other intraocular pathology, such as increased ocular pressure or the finding of retinal detachment on fundoscopy. When emergency providers encounter glaucoma or retinal detachment on physical exam, point-of-care ultrasonography represents a key adjunct in the timely diagnosis and referral of this potentially vision- and life-threatening malignancy.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 446-449
Author(s):  
Bailey Pierce ◽  
Scott Alter ◽  
Kyle Gerakopoulos ◽  
Jeniel Parmar

Introduction: Vision loss is an ophthalmologic emergency with broad differential requiring prompt medical attention. Case Report: We describe a 55-year-old male presenting to the emergency department (ED) with unilateral, painless visual field deficit with ipsilateral conjunctivitis induced by a presumed foreign body. The patient described a foreign body sensation nine days prior to developing visual changes. In the ED, the patient was diagnosed with a retinal detachment using point-of-care ultrasonography, and emergent ophthalmologic consultation was obtained. Conclusion: Concurrent retinal detachment and conjunctivitis in a patient is extremely rare. Healthcare providers should be aware that foreign body-induced conjunctivitis could lead to retinal detachment.


CJEM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (S1) ◽  
pp. S93-S94
Author(s):  
G. Docherty ◽  
M. Francispragasam ◽  
B. Silver ◽  
R. Prager ◽  
D. Maberley ◽  
...  

Introduction: The acute onset of flashes and floaters is a common presentation to the emergency department (ED). The most emergent etiology is retinal detachment (RD), which requires prompt ophthalmologic assessment. Previous studies of point of care ultrasound (POCUS) have reported high sensitivity and specificity for RD, but are limited by small sample size, use of highly trained and experienced sonographers, and referral bias. Our primary objective was to assess the test characteristics of POCUS performed by a large heterogeneous group of emergency physicians (EPs) for the diagnosis of RD. Methods: This was a prospective diagnostic test assessment of POCUS performed by EPs with varying ultrasound experience on a convenience sample of ED patients presenting with the complaint of flashes or floaters in one or both eyes. Participating EPs completed a one hour didactic lecture and were expected to demonstrate appropriate performance of one practice scan before enrolling patients. After standard ED assessment, patients underwent an ocular POCUS scan targeted to detect RD. EPs recorded the presence or absence of RD on the data collection instrument based on their POCUS scan. After completing their ED visit, all patients were assessed by a retina specialist who was blinded to the results of the POCUS scan. We calculated sensitivity and specificity with associated exact binomial confidence intervals (CI) using the retina specialist’s determination of the final diagnosis as the criterion standard. Results: A total of 30 EPs, consisting of 21 staff physicians and 9 residents, participated in this study. These EPs performed a total of 128 POCUS scans. Of these scans, 13 were excluded. Of the remaining 115 enrolled patients, median age was 60 years, and 64% were female. The retina specialist diagnosed RD in 16 (14%) cases. The sensitivity and specificity of POCUS for detecting RD was 75% (95% CI 48% to 93%) and 94% (95% CI 87% to 98%), respectively. The positive likelihood ratio was 12.4 (95% CI 5.4 to 28.3), and negative likelihood ratio was 0.27 (95% CI 0.11 to 0.62). Conclusion: In a heterogeneous group of EPs with varying ultrasound experience, POCUS demonstrates high specificity but only intermediate sensitivity for the detection of RD. A negative POCUS scan is not sufficiently sensitive to rule out RD in a patient with new onset flashes or floaters.


2019 ◽  
Vol Volume 11 ◽  
pp. 265-270
Author(s):  
Shadi Lahham ◽  
Qumber Ali ◽  
Bea Martina Palileo ◽  
Clifton Lee ◽  
John C Fox

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-357
Author(s):  
Kyle Dornhofer ◽  
Marawan Alkhattabi ◽  
Shadi Lahham

Background: Point-of-care ocular ultrasound in the emergency department (ED) is an effective tool for promptly evaluating for several vision-threatening etiologies and can be used to identify more slowly progressing etiologies as well, such as cataract formation within the lens. Case Report: A 62-year-old female presented to the ED with a two-day history of painless vision loss of the left eye as well as reduced vision for the prior 30 days. Conclusion: Point-of-care ultrasound was performed and showed calcification of the lens consistent with cataract.


POCUS Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-14
Author(s):  
Hadiel Kaiyasah, MD, MRCS (Glasgow), ABHS-GS ◽  
Maryam Al Ali, MBBS

Soft tissue ultrasound (ST-USS) has been shown to be of utmost importance in assessing patients with soft tissue infections in the emergency department or critical care unit. It aids in guiding the management of soft tissue infection based on the sonographic findings.


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