Intraocular lesions in patients with systemic disease: findings on MR imaging

Twenty-one intraocular lesions associated with various systemic diseases in 15 patients were studied by MR imaging. The disorders included diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, Behçet disease, sarcoidosis, and ankylosing spondylitis. MR was performed on a 0.5-T system using a surface-coil technique. Ophthalmoscopic visualization of the fundus was precluded by the presence of opaque media in all cases. MR was found to be effective in demonstrating intraocular bleeding, vitreous opacity, detached lesions of the posterior pole, and eyeball deformity. Surface-coil MR is a useful adjunct in the evaluation of the eyes affected by systemic diseases, especially in patients with opaque media.