ultrasonic study of diabetic patients undergoing cataract extraction

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted on 50 diabetic patients having cataract that was dense enough to obscure visualization of the posterior segment of their eyes by optical means. A comparison was done between the pre- operative ultrasonic findings and the postoperative ophthalmoscopic evaluation of the operated eyes. The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography was 82%. Dense vitreous echoes were detected in 4% of the cases while epiretinal membranes were found in 6% of the cases, both findings were accurately diagnosed by ultrasonography. When dealing with scattered vitreous echoes, the sensitivity and negative predictive values of ultrasonography were higher than its specificity and positive predictive values, indicating that the ultrasonography is a good negative test