RESUMO
PURPOSE: To investigate the correlation between ultrasonographic findings and clinical features of infectious endophthalmitis. METHODS: We analyzed ultrasonographic findings of 38 eyes of 36 patients who had been diagnosed as having infectious endophthalmitis with various etiologies. The correlation between ultrasonographic findings and clinical features such as initial and final visual acuities were studied. RESULTS: Fourteen eyes were diagnosed with endogenous endophthalmitis and 11 eyes with postoperative endophthalmitis. Posterior vitreous opacity in the endophthalmitis secondary to keratitis was more severe and subhyaloid opacity in the traumatic endophthalmitis was less severe. Coagulase negative staphylococcus was the most common causative agents. Subhyaloid opacity in the eyes where cultures were not performed, was more severe than in those where coagulase negative staphylococcus was identified. Among the various ultrasonographic findings only the degree of the posterior vitreous opacity was correlated with the initial visual acuity, and none of the findings was significantly related with the final visual acuity. Treatment modalities included intravitreal antibiotics injections in 13 eyes, immediate vitrectomies and antibiotics injection in 6 eyes, conversion to vitrectomy after antibiotics injection in 17 eyes, and eviscerations in 2 eyes. The grades of posterior vitreous opacity of the patients with conversion to vitrectomy after antibiotics injection were lower than those of the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonographic findings might be a useful factors in the diagnosis and the determination of treatment modality and may therefore be helpful in the prognosis of patients with suspected infectious endophthalmitis.