Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence and nature of intra-ocular abnormalities detected by conventional B-scan ultrasound in patients with dense cataracts and compare them to their postoperative findings. Methods: Retrospective chart review of 724 B-scan ultrasound studies performed between January 1999 and July 2001. Two hundred and eighty-nine of these exams were referred due to a dense cataract that obscured any view of the fundus. The ultrasound findings were documented by prints and revised for the study. Follow-up was obtained in 131 patients to evaluate sensibility and specificity of B-scan ultrasound as a diagnostic method. Statistical analysis was performed by Student's "t" test using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science) 8.0 for Windows. Results: Two hundred and eighty-nine patients with dense cataracts were studied, all of them evaluated by B-scan ultrasound; 200 had abnormal examination. In patients without a history of ocular trauma (n=268), 82 eyes (30.6%) presented a normal posterior segment on ultrasound and 26 eyes (9.7%), retinal detachment. In patients with a prior history of ocular trauma (n=21), 8 eyes (38.1%) presented retinal detachment and 7 eyes (33.3%) were normal on ultrasound. The agreement between ultrasound findings and postoperative findings was 95.4% in the 131 patients followed after surgery. B-scan ultrasound presented sensitivity of 91.3% and specificity of 100%. Conclusion: Preoperative evaluation of eyes with dense cataracts using B-scan ultrasound has shown to be efficient in diagnosing posterior segment abnormalities in this study. The sensibility and specificity of this exam found in the studied group confirm the importance of B-scan ultrasound in the preoperative evaluation of patients with dense cataracts.
Cataract; Ultrasonography; Eye injuries; Preoperative care; Sensitivity and specificity; Follow-up
