No abstract

The results of phototherapy on a small series of 19 patients with uveal melanomas are presented. Laser radiation at a wavelength of 620 to 630 nm was used in conjunction with a 5 to 7 5 mg/kg dose ofhaematoporphyrin derivative administered 24 hours before treatment, with total doses/treatment averaging 960 J/cm'. Eleven patients received two treatments, and one received a third. The longest duration of tumour control to 30 September 1990 was 31 months. Of the 19 patients treated six had complete regression of the tumour, while another five had minor to significant regression. A strong correlation between degree of regression and degree of tumour pigmentation was found, the lighter tumours responding much better than darker tumours. There were also strong indications that if a tumour did not respond to the initial phototherapy it was very unlikely that subsequent phototherapy would provide any further benefit.

The prognosis for death from metastatic choroidal melanoma following enucleation has been shown to

Using a combination of conventional 8-scan ultrasonography, standard video techniques, computer image digitisation and area analysis, it is possible to measure the volume of choroidal melanomas by area calculation of successive ultrasound image sbces, allowing the monitoring of such tumours The design of a combined water-bath and linear tracking 8-scan transducer is presented, together with a description of the instrumentation and computer software required The results of volume measurements performed upon eye models demonstrated that melanomas of volume greater than 100 mm3 could be measured with an average error of 6%The problems associated with linear calibration of the system from scan head to analysed image, resolution of the digitised image, reproducibility of the measurements, sources of error and assumptions made in formulating the measurement procedure are discussed

The volume of intraocular tumours can be calculated from tumour height and cross-sectional areas measured in maximal orthogonal B-mode ultrasonograms, on the assumption that the tumour morphology is hemi-ellipsoidal. Comparison of this method with an accurate but more complex computer-aided B-mode ultrasonic tomographic method demonstrated a highly linear relationship with a correlation coefficient of 0.93. Furthermore, the comparison of cross-sectional areas measured from B-scan images and histological cross-sections in a small series of enucleated eyes demonstrated that tumour cross-sectional area measured from ultrasound images provides an accurate representation of the true physical size of the tumour in the globe.This method can be easily implemented with readily available B-mode ultrasound equipment. Unlike previously reported volume measurement methods, customised hardware or software is not required. The method is rapid and easy to perform, and may offer a useful standard method of measuring and monitoring intraocular tumours.