Utility and Effectiveness of Orbito-ocular B-scan Ultrasonography in an African Developing Country

• Published in: Journal of health care for the poor and underserved 2013-11, Vol.24 (4), p.1440-1447
• Main Authors: Eze, Boniface I, Onu, Augustine C, Imo, Augustine O, Mgbor, Samuel O
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accuracy; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Agreements; Biometrics; Cataracts; Child; Child, Preschool; Clinics; Data analysis; Developing Countries; Doppler effect; Eye Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Female; Geopolitics; Haemorrhage; Histology; Humans; Infant; LDCs; Lesions; Male; Middle Aged; Nigeria; Orbital Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Retrospective Studies; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonography; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1049-2089; 1548-6869; 1548-6869
• DOI: 10.1353/hpu.2013.0174

Diagnostic orbito-ocular ultrasonography is a safe, affordable, and cost-effective procedure that is especially suited for resource-poor developing countries. Periodic evaluation of its utility and effectiveness is important in the light of phenomenal advances in medical imaging. To assess the utility and effectiveness of B-scan orbito-ocular ultrasonography in a Nigerian ophthalmic patient population. The Hansa Clinic's database was retrospectively reviewed, between January 2006 and December 2010, to obtain patients' relevant demographic and clinical data. Results . The subjects comprised 119 males and 81 females. The leading sonographic diagnoses were ocular (90.4%): retinal detachment-23.3%, cataract-14.0%, and vitreous haemorrhage-10.5%; orbital (8.3%): 'mass lesion'-4.8% and myopathies-0.8%. The agreement between clinical and sonographic diagnoses was complete in 35.5% eyes. At Hansa Clinics, intraocular lesions are the main findings of diagnostic orbito-ocular sonography. There is poor agreement between clinical and sonographic diagnoses. Improved correlation of patients' clinic-pathologic data is suggested.