Whole Body Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) in the Evaluation of Ophthalmic Tumors

Abstract

The clinical value of whole body positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) as an imaging tool in diagnosis of ophthalmic tumors was investigated. The retrospective observational case series were performed on the patients with suspected ophthalmic tumors who underwent whole body PET/CT. The golden standard of diagnosis was the final pathological diagnosis or the results of long-term follow-up for patients without surgery/biopsy. PET/CT findings were compared with the golden standard. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and positive likelihood ratio of PET/CT in the detection of ophthalmic tumors were calculated. The clinical application of PET/CT in different types of ophthalmic tumors was evaluated. The results showed that 30 patients (18 males and 12 females) with a mean age of 43.0 years (range 4-63 years) were collected. The mean sizes of orbital tumors and intraocular tumors were 26.8 mm×17.8 mm and 11.2 mm×6.1 mm, respectively. The overall sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and positive likelihood ratio of whole body PET/CT in ophthalmic tumors were 76.5%, 71.4%, 75.0% and 2.67, and were 62.5%, 100% and 70.0% in intraocular tumors, and those were 100%, 60.0% and 84.6% in orbital tumors, respectively. PET/CT findings were applied to help make appropriate treatment options in 27 out of 30 patients (90.0%), and 12 (40.0%) patients changed the treatment strategy. False negative results in 4 cases and false positive results in 2 cases were observed in this series. It was suggested that PET/CT was an effective imaging modality in detecting, diagnosing and developing therapeutic schedule for patients with ophthalmic tumors. It was more sensitive and accurate for detecting orbital tumors than for detecting intraocular tumors.

Keywords: ocular tumor; ophthalmic tumor; orbital tumor; positron emission tomography/computed tomography.