Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Reconstruct Human Retinoblastoma In Vitro
Published on: October 11, 2022
Ultrasound biomicroscopy in the management of retinoblastoma
L M Vasquez1, G P Giuliari, W Halliday
1Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Insights
Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) accurately identifies anterior tumor extension in retinoblastoma, aiding crucial management decisions. This imaging technique proves highly sensitive and specific for staging advanced retinoblastoma in children.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Oncology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular malignancy in children.
- Accurate staging is critical for selecting appropriate treatment and improving outcomes.
- Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) offers high-resolution imaging of ocular structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the role and accuracy of ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) in managing pediatric retinoblastoma.
- To assess UBM's effectiveness in determining intraocular tumor extent.
- To correlate UBM findings with histopathological results for advanced disease.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 101 eyes from 75 children diagnosed with retinoblastoma.
- UBM was used to assess intraocular tumor extent, particularly anterior to the ora serrata.
- Comparison of UBM findings with clinical data and histopathological examination of enucleated eyes.
Main Results:
- UBM correctly identified anterior tumor extension in 11 enucleated eyes, with histopathology confirming all cases.
- No false negatives or false positives were reported for UBM in detecting anterior extension.
- Enucleations for reasons other than anterior extension did not show histopathological evidence of such spread.
Conclusions:
- UBM provides sensitive and reproducible visualization of the anterior eye structures in retinoblastoma.
- It enables better staging of advanced retinoblastoma, guiding treatment selection.
- Accurate assessment of tumor extent using UBM is vital for optimal management strategies.
Purpose:
To determine the role of ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) in the management of children affected with retinoblastoma.
Methods:
A review of clinical records of children with the diagnosis of retinoblastoma at the Hospital for Sick Children from January 1995 to December 2007, for whom UBM was used to determine the extent of intraocular tumor. Clinical characteristics were compared with UBM. Pathological correlation was performed for enucleated eyes.
Results:
In total, 101 eyes of 75 patients were included in the final analysis. Only 11 eyes were diagnosed on UBM to have extension of the tumor anterior to the ora serrata, and were enucleated. Histopathological examination confirmed the anterior extension in all the 11 eyes. In total, 50 eyes were enucleated because of various reasons, such as poor visual prognosis (12 eyes), unilateral group D or E (23 eyes), recurrences (8 eyes), and treatment failure (7 eyes). None of those patients were found to have anterior extension of the disease on histopathological examination. UBM did not yield any false negative (0/50) or any false positives (0/11).
Conclusions:
The UBM provided a sensitive and reproducible visualization of the anterior retina, ciliary region, and anterior segment allowing a better staging of the advanced disease process. Primary assessment of the true extent of retinoblastoma is critical for the selection of an optimal management approach.
