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Results for “Measurement”

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At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

PubMed1990

The use of a Diasonics DRF400 duplex ultrasound scanner to measure volume flow in arterio-venous fistulae in patients undergoing haemodialysis: an analysis of measurement uncertainties.

A pilot study to measure volume flow in arterio-venous fistulae in patients undergoing haemodialysis was undertaken to determine the accuracy and precision of values obtained using a modern duplex ultrasound scanner. A Diasonics DRF400 duplex ultrasound scanner was used with a small parts 10 MHz mechanical sector probe incorporating a 4.5 MHz Doppler transducer. Volume flow was measured in the brachial artery of 13 patients with surgically created arterio-venous fistulae in the distal circulation. Volume flow was also measured using a flow phantom in which the true volume flow was known. An analysis of the measurements made by the duplex scanner was performed to determine the sources of random and systematic uncertainty. Repeatability was improved with the probe clamped in position over the brachial artery giving a coefficient of variation in repeated measurements of volume flow in a patient of +/- 12%. Measured flows ranged from 884-3088 mL min-1. Comparison with measurements on the flow phantom showed these values from patients to be overestimated by 200-600 mL min-1. The values from the phantom should therefore be used to calibrate patient measurements. Analysis of uncertainties showed that precision was limited by random uncertainties in the measurement of vessel diameter and Doppler angle.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Evaluation of a new carotid intima-media thickness measurement by B-mode ultrasonography using an innovative measurement software, intimascope.

Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), an indicator of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CHD) is usually evaluated by eye measurement under B-scope carotid artery ultrasonography. However, the axial resolution of this system is >/=0.1 mm, which causes difficulties in respect to accuracy and reproducibility. We evaluated a newly developed B-scope carotid artery ultrasonography programmed by an innovative measurement software, Intimascope (Media Cross Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan), which measures IMT with 10 times higher axial resolution at an estimated scale of 0.01 mm. Intraobserver or interobserver coefficient of variation (CV) of the computer-based average IMT (aver-IMT) value and 3-point IMT value were much smaller than the corresponding value by conventional eye-measurement method (3-point value). We measured IMT of 427 asymptomatic subjects undergoing medical checkups (243 men and 184 women, 23 to 73 years of age). Although the mean values of aver-IMT and 3-point IMT of 427 subjects were comparable with that of the eye measurement method, the aver-IMT showed the smallest SD (standard deviation) and CV values. In both men and women, multivariate regression analysis revealed significant contributions of age and LDL-C to the aver-IMT value. Univariate regression analysis revealed that the aver-IMT value of total subjects showed the highest correlation coefficient values with most risk factors and risk assessment score, Framingham Risk Assessment, or Prospective Cardiovascular Munster study (PROCAM) Risk Score. These results may suggest superiority of computer-based aver-IMT over 3-point IMT by either computer-based or eye measurement method. Carotid aver-IMT measurement using the new Intimascope software may provide a more precise and reproducible index of atherosclerosis than does conventional IMT measurement.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Comparison of a questionnaire commonly used for measuring coping with a daily-basis prospective coping measure.

BACKGROUND: Much research have investigated the relation between stress and health, with focus on the role of coping as a moderator. The use of the concept of coping is in need of more stringency since it is often used in a more or less careless manner. A contributory cause of the confusion within the research field is the often-negligent interpretation of results from the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) Scale (i.e., results are discussed in terms of coping strategies instead of mental adjustment). Furthermore, checklists are often used in research but seldom specify the stressor that patients are attempting to cope with. METHODS: Consecutive patients newly diagnosed with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer were included in this study. Of 151 eligible patients, 95 (63%) participated. As soon as their physical condition so permitted, patients were asked to assess their coping by way of two methods: an instrument commonly used for measuring coping (MAC Scale) and a daily-basis prospective coping measure [Daily Coping Assessment (DCA)]. The study investigated the relations between these two methods, which are used to evaluate different ways of coping with cancer, and related these to specified stressful events and psychologic distress outcomes [Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)]. RESULTS: Among patients with GI cancers, a comparison of the DCA with the MAC Scale renders important differences regarding the use of coping strategies. Furthermore, coping as measured by the DCA is more clearly separated from both stressors such as psychologic aspects and psychologic distress outcomes as measured by the HADS. DISCUSSION: A comparison between the two measures renders differences regarding the use of coping strategies among patients with GI cancers. The daily-basis prospective coping measure seems to be better separated from both stressful events and psychologic distress outcomes. The DCA offers a promising alternative to the use of coping checklists. The difference between the measures is in accordance with the original intention that the MAC Scale be used to measure mental adjustment rather than coping (i.e., the results do not support the use of the MAC Scale as a coping measure).

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2006

The gross motor function measure is a valid and sensitive outcome measure for spinal muscular atrophy.

Spinal muscular atrophy is a genetic disease of the anterior horn cell with high morbidity rate in childhood. Certain drugs may be of benefit and are in or under consideration for Phase II trials. Outcome measures that are age appropriate and representative of disease activity remain under study. Several have not yet been validated for spinal muscular atrophy. The Gross Motor Function Measure is a measure of motor function. We showed previously that the Gross Motor Function Measure is a reliable outcome measure to assess motor function in children with spinal muscular atrophy. By collating our data from 40 spinal muscular atrophy patients, ages 5 through 17 years, we now show the validity of the Gross Motor Function Measure when compared to Quantitative Muscle Testing and ambulatory status in children with spinal muscular atrophy. The median for Gross Motor Function Measure total scores for walkers was 237 (range: 197-261) and for non-walkers, 64 (range: 4-177; P<0.0001) with no distributional overlap. We conclude that the Gross Motor Function Measure is valid and sensitive as an outcome measure for clinical trials in pediatric spinal muscular atrophy.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Retinal nerve fiber layer measurements do not change after LASIK for high myopia as measured by scanning laser polarimetry with custom compensation.

PURPOSE: Scanning laser polarimetry (SLP) estimates retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness through measurement of retardation of polarized light passing through the birefringent RNFL and cornea. A compensation method is incorporated to eliminate the anterior segment contribution to the total birefringence measured. LASIK is a technique that corrects myopia by ablating corneal tissue. This study evaluated RNFL measurements before and after LASIK as determined by SLP with a new custom compensation device set for the individual cornea before and after ablation. DESIGN: Interventional case series. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients underwent SLP measurements before and 30 days after LASIK for high myopia with customized compensation for anterior segment birefringence. Postoperative measurements were obtained with both the same compensation as was used preoperatively and with newly determined customized compensation. Standard RNFL parameters obtained before and after ablation with customized compensation were compared by use of paired Student's t tests with Bonferroni's correction for multiple comparisons. Postoperative measurements were also compared with those obtained preoperatively with the same corneal compensation measures as used preoperatively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Retinal nerve fiber layer parameters as determined by SLP before and after LASIK with 2 custom cornea compensator settings postoperatively. RESULTS: Fifty-seven eyes of 29 patients with myopia > -5.00 diopters underwent LASIK (average central ablation depth 101+/-11.3 mum). None of the 13 parameters showed statistically significant differences between preoperative and postoperative values with individually determined corneal compensation. When the preoperative corneal compensation was used postoperatively, 10 of 13 parameters were significantly changed. Comparison of the compensator settings before and after LASIK showed substantial differences in some individuals. On the average, there was a statistically significant change in the slow polarization axis of the cornea, with no statistically significant change in the magnitude of the birefringence, with some eyes showing increases and others decreases. The change in an individual cornea could not be predicted. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in RNFL measurements by SLP observed after LASIK in patients with high myopia are due to changes in corneal birefringence. These RNFL changes are not seen when customized compensation is applied for the cornea. Thus, LASIK does change the corneal birefringence but does not affect the RNFL.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Theoretical simulation of oxygen tension measurement in the tissue using a microelectrode: II. Simulated measurements in tissues.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The objectives of this study were to make a computer simulation of tissues with different vascular structures and to simulate measurements of oxygen tension using an Eppendorf-like electrode in these tissues and to compare the response to radiation of the tissues with the real oxygen distributions (called input distribution) with the response to radiation of the tissues in which the oxygen distribution is given by the results of the simulated measurements (called output distribution). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The structure of various tissues and the measurements of oxygen tension using a microelectrode were simulated using a computer program. The mathematical model used combines the description of a gradient of tissue oxygenation and the electrode absorption process. RESULTS: We have compared the oxygen distributions resulting from diffusion (input) with those obtained from a simulation of measurements (output) for various tissues in the same points. Because the electrode measurement is an averaging process, the calculated oxygen distributions are different from the expected ones and the extreme high and low values are not detected. We have then calculated the survival curves describing the response to radiation if there is a small fraction of truly hypoxic cells (expected values) or a large fraction of cells at intermediate values (observed results) in order to determine the differences between them. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study show that oxygen electrode measurements do not give the true distribution of pO(2) values in the tissue. However, our results do not contradict the numerous empirical correlations between the Eppendorf measurements of tumour oxygenation and the outcome of treatments. Measurement results will be misleading for modelling purposes since they do not reflect the actual distributions of oxygen tensions in the measured tissue. Decisions based on such modelling could be very dangerous, especially with respect to the clinical response of tumours to new treatments.

Cell Hypoxia↗

PubMed1998

MAVIS: a non-invasive instrument to measure area and volume of wounds. Measurement of Area and Volume Instrument System.

Accurate measurement of the physical size of wounds is vital for assessment of the progress of healing. An instrument has been developed to measure area and volume of skin wounds, ulcers, and pressure sores. MAVIS--Measurement of Area and Volume Instrument System-is based on the principle of colour coded structured light. A set of parallel stripes of alternating colours is projected onto the wound area at an angle of approximately 45 degrees and is recorded by a CCD camera. From the known position of the focal points of projector and camera, and from the observed intersection points of the stripes of light with the wound surface, a computer calculates a three-dimensional map of the observed wound. The volume of the wound is defined as the volume of the region sandwiched between the observed surface and the original healthy skin surface which is simulated by cubic spline interpolation. This paper compares the performance of the instrument with three traditional wound measurement techniques using results obtained from a clinical trial involving 50 patients. Traditional area measurement techniques such as transparency tracings produce results with standard deviations between 4% (large wounds) and up to 20% (small wounds) of the measured mean value. MAVIS measurements reduce these standard deviations by 3-5%. Measuring the wound volume by alginate casts produces errors in volume figures between 5% and 40%. Standard deviations of MAVIS results are 5% smaller on average. The results demonstrate that MAVIS yields more reproducible results with a minimum of inter-observer error. The instrument does not make contact with the wound, provided visual records and measurements are made in less then 5 min. It is not suitable for undermined, very deep or very large wounds.

Humans↗

PubMed2003

Relationships between functional capacity measures and baseline psychological measures in chronic pain patients.

The extent to which baseline psychological measures, pain, and compensation status are related to admission and posttreatment functional capacity and employment outcome was investigated. Four pass/fail functional capacity tests based on the DOT (Dictionary of Occupational Titles) classification system and previously shown to be predictive of treatment outcome in chronic pain patients were analyzed in relation to baseline measures of depression, state and trait anxiety, and perceived stress. Statistical tests of all measures with employment level at admission to treatment, 1 month follow-up and at long-term follow-up were also performed. The results showed that pain level and/or compensation status were the primary predictors of functional capacity and employment status at follow-up. Admission functional capacity measures were also predictors of employment outcome. Depression scores at admission predicted some admission functional capacity results, however, psychological scores were not as significantly related to discharge functional capacity tests. One functional capacity test, the crouching test, was an independent predictor of short- and long-term employment outcome. Trait anxiety was the only psychological factor that was independently predictive of long-term employment outcome. In conclusion, these results suggest that psychological variables are related to measures of functional capacity measured at admission. However, psychological measures at admission are not good predictors of later functional capacity measures. Functional capacity measures are important predictors of follow-up employment outcome, but return to work cannot be predicted without taking pain into account.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Relationship of metabolic variables to abdominal adiposity measured by different anthropometric measurements and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in obese middle-aged women.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate how abdominal adiposity assessed by different anthropometric measurements and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements is associated with metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular disease and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in obese women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: Forty-three healthy, obese, middle-aged women (age: 29-64 y, BMI: 28-42 kg/m2). MEASUREMENTS: (1) Anthropometry: waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, abdominal sagittal and transverse diameters and their ratio. (2) Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry: the amount of total and regional abdominal fat. (3) Metabolic measurements: serum total, VLDL, LDL, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting and postglucose serum insulin and glucose. RESULTS: After adjustment for age and BMI, all the anthropometric measurements except waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio related significantly to HDL and LDL cholesterol. On the other hand, waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio showed an association with triglycerides. In addition, all the anthropometric measurements except transverse diameter correlated significantly with fasting insulin and fasting glucose. Waist-to-hip ratio was the only measure that associated with 2 h glucose concentration. The differences between the correlation coefficients were not statistically significant in the z-transformed correlation coefficient test. As to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry results, the region from the dome of diaphragm to the top of femur ('abdominal fat') and the area between the first and the fourth lumbal vertebrae ('upper lumbal fat') inversely related to HDL cholesterol and positively to triglycerides. Both of these regions correlated significantly with fasting insulin, and "upper lumbal fat' associated also with fasting glucose even after adjustment for age and BMI. CONCLUSION: None of the anthropometric measurements (waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio or sagittal diameter) was significantly superior to others to assess the metabolic risk profile. 'Upper lumbal fat' (the area between the first and the fourth lumbal vertebrae) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry discerned obese women with elevated fasting insulin and fasting glucose.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed2000

Validity of a measure of the frequency of headaches with overt neck involvement, and reliability of measurement of cervical spine anthropometric and muscle performance factors.

OBJECTIVE: To test the validity of a questionnaire to measure frequency of headaches related to the neck. A secondary goal was to test the reliability of field measurement of associated cervical spine anthropometric and muscle performance factors. DESIGN: Intermethod and test-retest comparisons. SETTING: Two municipalities in a rural area of Tasmania, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred subjects were selected as a representative sample of never-injured adults from a comprehensive listing of the source population, and 93 participated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjects distinguished headaches matching three criteria for overt neck involvement, reported past-month frequency by questionnaire, and recorded in a diary occurrences during the next month. Measurements of height, weight, neck column length and circumference, lateral flexion and extension range of movement, cervical short flexor muscle endurance, and cervical long flexor and extensor strength were taken at the start and end of the month. RESULTS: Headache frequency was associated with neck stiffness and neck ache. There was moderate agreement (weighted K = .66) between questionnaire and diary, but better agreement (K = .72) for subjects who maintained their usual patterns of recreational sport. For this group, the correlation with "true" frequency was r(u) = .87. The anthropometric and muscle performance factors were reliably measured (intraclass correlations .96 to 1.00, kappa .78 to .86) despite minor improvement in muscle performance on retest. CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire measure has construct validity. Neck-related headaches are a temporally stable presentation in never-injured subjects who maintain customary sporting activity. Measurement error was consequential, but less so for this group than for the study subjects generally. The anthropometric and muscle performance measurements were reliable, but slight improvements on retest suggest the need for multiple measurements.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Comparison of clinic, home self-measured, and work self-measured blood pressures.

Self-measured and clinic blood pressure (BP) estimates of patients' true levels of BP were compared as part of a controlled study of stress management training for essential hypertension. Forty-three patients underwent 6 to 9 clinic measurements and made 48 self-measured readings of BP at home and at work before and after treatment. Analyses showed that (a) self-measured BP values at work and at home were significantly correlated with each other but did not correlate with clinic blood pressure measurements at pretreatment, and (b) test-retest correlations over 2 months and intraclass correlations of self-measured BP measures were significantly higher than those of clinic BP measurements. Findings indicated that self-measurement improved the estimations of patients' true levels of BP and improved the sensitivity and feasibility of studies assessing the efficacy of antihypertensive treatments.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Ultrasound measurements of intraabdominal fat estimate the metabolic syndrome better than do measurements of waist circumference.

BACKGROUND: We recently developed an ultrasound technique to estimate intraabdominal fat (IAF). This method is more accurate than measurement of waist and hip circumferences and is simpler and less expensive than computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. OBJECTIVE: We compared the associations of ultrasound and waist-circumference (WC) measurements of IAF with other components of the metabolic syndrome. DESIGN: IAF was determined in 600 consecutive participants in the Secondary Manifestations of Arterial Disease (SMART) study. The mean (+/- SD) age was 56.1 +/- 12.6 y, 30.0% of participants were women, and the mean body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) was 26.6+/- 4.1. RESULTS: IAF increased with age (ultrasound: r = 0.28; WC: r = 0.25; P < 0.001 for both). Higher IAF, as measured by ultrasound but not by WC, was independently associated with higher metabolic risk factors. The correlation coefficients between IAF measured by ultrasound and plasma glucose, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triacylglycerol were 0.13, 0.16, -0.13, and 0.25, respectively (all P < 0.001; adjusted for age, sex, and BMI). The corresponding coefficients for IAF measured by WC were 0.17 (P < 0.001) and 0.01, -0.06, and 0.05 (all NS). CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the findings of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging investigations. When IAF is measured by ultrasound, the associations are more pronounced than when WC measurements are used and are independent of BMI. This suggests that IAF can be more reliably assessed by ultrasound measurements than by WC measurements.

Abdomen↗

PubMed2002

Multiple measures of socio-economic position and psychosocial health: proximal and distal measures.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper is to compare three models for exploring the links between different measures of adult socioeconomic position (SEP)-education, occupation, income-and psychosocial health. Model I is a basic univariate regression model with psychosocial health as the outcome and a measure of SEP as the predictor. Model II is a multiple regression model with psychosocial health as the outcome with all three measures of SEP allocated the same temporal position as predictors. Model III treats education, a distal measure of SEP, as antecedent to the proximal measures of SEP in the prediction equations linking SEP to health. METHODS: Participants were drawn from the Whitehall II study, a prospective cohort study of British civil servants. Data analysed here are from Phase 5 (1997-1999) of data collection, 7830 individuals in all. The measures of SEP and psychosocial health were assessed via a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The three models can lead to completely different conclusions. Model III, our preferred model, shows education to have a stronger indirect effect on psychosocial health when compared to its direct effect. The indirect effect is due to the effect of education on proximal measures of social position, occupation, and income in this case. CONCLUSIONS: Results reported here support the hypothesis that a comparison of the relative importance of the different measures of social position in predicting health is meaningless if the causal relationships among these measures are not accounted for.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Magnetic resonance velocity measurements in small arteries. Comparison with Doppler ultrasonic measurements in the aortas of normal rabbits.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to measure motion. This study compares MRI blood flow velocity measurements to Doppler ultrasound velocity measurements in an animal model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood flow in the abdominal aortas of nine normal rabbits was measured using 16-frame, velocity-resolved MRI and Doppler ultrasound. The MRI data were processed into velocity spectra to aid in their interpretation. RESULTS: Maximum velocity measurements made by range-gated Doppler ultrasound were predicted by the maximum velocity values derived from MR velocity spectra with a slope of 0.861, an intercept of -2.78 cm/second, and an R-value of 0.935 in 70 measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the longer time required for the MR measurement, the MR velocity measurement may be useful in the assessment of deep vessels or those obscured by other structures, which are difficult to measure with ultrasound.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Developing a reliable, valid, and feasible plan for quality-of-care measurement for cancer: how should we measure?

BACKGROUND: Recent changes in the US health care delivery system have raised expectations that the medical marketplace will compete on quality and cost of care. This effort will require a systematic evaluation of the measurement of quality of care as it applies to cancer and other critical conditions. OBJECTIVES: To articulate the components of the design of quality-of-care measurement systems that must be considered and optimally manipulated to generate feasible, reliable, and valid data pertinent to patients with cancer. RESEARCH DESIGN: A synthesis of information obtained from literature reviews and experience. MEASURES: Four key areas of design that influence quality-of-care measurement scores are discussed: case identification, data source, data-collection strategies, and the quality of the care-measurement model. RESULTS: Challenges associated with these design and measurement strategies are defined and discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Policy analyses vary as a function of measurement domains. The design of a quality-of-care measurement system should consider trade-offs between validity and burden by considering the intricate relations between domains of measurement.

Data Collection↗

PubMed2006

Accuracy of attenuation measurement of vascular wall in vitro on computed tomography angiography: Effect of wall thickness, density of contrast medium, and measurement point.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess the effects of measurement point, wall thickness, and intravascular density of contrast material on attenuation measurement of vascular wall. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used vascular models (actual attenuation value of the wall: 83 HU) with wall thicknesses of 1.5, 1.0, or 0.5 mm, filled with contrast material of 254, 325, or 400 HU. The 9 vascular models were fixed in an oil-filled container and scanned with a 16-detector computed tomography. The wall attenuation values were measured at 1 point for 0.5-mm thickness models, 3 for 1.0-mm thickness models, and 5 for 1.5-mm thickness models with the same interval of 0.25 mm. Total 20 measurements were done for each point. RESULTS: For 1.0-mm and 1.5-mm thickness models, wall attenuation progressively increased as the measurement points approached the lumen (P < 0.0001). At all the measurement points for 0.5-mm and 1.0-mm thickness models and the 2 inner measurement points for 1.5-mm thickness models, the densities of contrast material affected the wall attenuations significantly (P < 0.0001). At the midportion for 1.5-mm thickness models, the wall attenuations were not affected by the densities of the contrast material (P = 0.6301), and were 65-68 HU. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of the intravascular density of contrast material, measurement point, and wall thickness should be considered in the attenuation measurement of the wall.

Angiography↗

PubMed1993

A comparison of hand-held isometric strength measurement with isokinetic muscle strength measurement in the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: To compare hand-held isometric muscle strength measurement to an isokinetic muscle strength measurement in a healthy elderly population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Retirement community in Southeastern Arizona. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-two volunteers (16 men and 16 women) age 60 and over (mean age 70.3 years) who were free of musculoskeletal problems and did not have significant health problems. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS: Isometric muscle strength was determined using a hand-held isometric strength device (Penny and Giles) for elbow flexion and extension and knee flexion and extension. Isokinetic muscle strength (average peak torque and average work per repetition) was measured on the same individuals using a Lido isokinetic dynamometer. RESULTS: Correlations between the strength measurement techniques were generally favorable with the lowest correlation being .72, (95 percent confidence interval .50-.86) and the highest being .85, (95 percent confidence interval .72-.93). However, there was substantial variability of hand-held strength reading at some levels of isokinetic strength. CONCLUSIONS: Hand-held dynamometry for strength measurement correlates strongly with measurement of strength using isokinetic dynamometry. Despite these high correlations, there is remaining variability of hand-held muscle strength readings when compared with isokinetic strength measurement at some levels of isokinetic muscle strength. Modification of the testing methodology or instrumentation used in this study is needed to improve the consistency of these measurements.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Measurement of choroidal melanoma basal diameter by wide-angle digital fundus camera: a comparison with ultrasound measurement.

PURPOSE: To compare the measurement of the basal diameter of choroidal melanoma, an important parameter for planning treatment and as a prognostic factor, by standardized ophthalmic ultrasound versus that obtained using a wide-angle fundus camera. METHODS: The longest and shortest basal diameters of 104 consecutive choroidal melanomas of patients seen at the ocular oncology service of the Hadassah University Hospital were measured by B-scan ultrasound and compared with those measured by a wide-angle fundus camera (Panoret-1000). Each diameter was measured thrice by two ophthalmic photographers, and intra-observer and interobserver reproducibility were calculated as well. RESULTS: The measurements of both the long and short diameters of the choroidal melanomas were significantly larger when measured by Panoret-1000 as compared with the B-scan ultrasound. There was no significant difference among the three measurements of each of the photographers. The interobserver reproducibility between the two photographers was high. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings can be attributed to the larger extent of the pigmentation of the melanoma compared to its recognized elevation. Since pigmentation of choroidal melanoma is easier to recognize than its elevation, we assume that measurement by a wide-angle fundus camera is more accurate in pigmented tumors, and should be adopted for measuring the basal diameter of choroidal melanomas in planning treatment and follow-up.

Choroid Neoplasms↗