Anterior segment imaging for iris melanocytic tumors

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Oncology

Background:

• Melanocytic iris tumors require accurate imaging for diagnosis and treatment planning.
• Anterior segment imaging techniques vary in their efficacy for evaluating these lesions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the role of anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) and compare it with other imaging modalities (Pentacam, SL-OCT, UBM) for analyzing iris melanocytic tumors.
• To assess the reliability of AS-OCT in detecting and measuring iris tumors.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 61 patients with melanocytic iris tumors underwent examination using Pentacam, SL-OCT, AS-OCT, and ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM).
• Imaging data from AS-OCT were compared with clinical features and UBM findings.

Main Results:

• AS-OCT successfully identified tumors in 96% of cases, significantly outperforming Pentacam (18%) and SL-OCT (67%).
• AS-OCT results showed comparability with UBM in 86% of cases.
• UBM demonstrated superiority in visualizing ciliary body extensions of iris tumors, which AS-OCT detected in only 1 of 3 analyzed cases.

Conclusions:

• AS-OCT is a reliable, convenient, noncontact method for detecting and measuring iris melanocytic tumors.
• AS-OCT provides precise measurements valuable for brachytherapy dosage calculations.
• While AS-OCT is effective for pure iris tumors, UBM remains essential for assessing ciliary body involvement.