Clinicopathologic correlations in 646 consecutive surgical eye specimens, 1990-2000

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pathology
• Surgical Oncology

Background:

• Surgical eye specimens provide crucial data on ocular pathology and treatment trends.
• Understanding the changing indications for eye surgeries is vital for resource allocation and training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in surgical procedures for eye specimens over a decade.
• To classify specimens by surgical procedure and pathological diagnosis.
• To identify shifts in the primary reasons for enucleation, evisceration, and exenteration.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 646 surgical eye specimens from January 1, 1990, to July 31, 2000.
• Classification of specimens by surgical procedure (enucleation, evisceration, exenteration) and pathological diagnosis.
• Analysis of trends in procedure indications over the study period.

Main Results:

• Enucleation was the most common procedure (81.0%), with tumors (48.2%) and malignant melanomas (208 cases) being frequent indications.
• Non-neoplastic causes for enucleation included glaucoma (12.8%), phthisis bulbi (11.7%), and trauma (11.3%).
• Between 1990 and 2000, procedures for neoplasms decreased (65% to 38%), while glaucoma (4% to 29%) and phthisis bulbi (8% to 13%) treatments increased.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights a significant shift in the primary indications for ocular surgical procedures over a ten-year period.
• Ophthalmology practice evolved, with a notable rise in surgeries for conditions like glaucoma and phthisis bulbi.
• Pathological analysis of surgical specimens remains essential for tracking disease prevalence and surgical trends.