Ultrasound biomicroscopy of eyelid lesions.

This study compared ultrasound biomicroscopy with histopathology in discerning depth of eyelid lesions and tissue characteristics. Ultrasound biomicroscopy (50 MHz) was used to analyze lesion depth and tissue characteristics of eight patients with eyelid lesions referred to a university-based referral practice prior to excisional biopsy. This data was then compared to histopathologic findings. Lesion depth measured by ultrasound biomicroscopy was correlated with histopathologic depth with a linear regression. Ultrasound biomicroscopy correlated highly to histopathology with regards to tissue characteristics and lesion depth (R(2) = 0.87). Ultrasound biomicroscopy accurately measures depth of eyelid lesions and accurately determines tissue characteristics.

The effect of prinomastat (AG3340), a synthetic inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases, on uveal melanoma rabbit model.

PURPOSE: We studied the effects of intravitreally administered prinomastat on the take rate and growth of uveal melanoma after xenograft implantation in rabbit uveal melanoma model. METHODS: Uveal melanoma xenograft was implanted to suprachoroidal space in each eye of 24 pigmented rabbits which were immunosuppressed with cyclosporine. One week after surgery, the eyes were randomized to receive prinomastat or the vehicle of the prinomastat intravitreally every week for 4 weeks. The take rate of the xenograft, tumor height, apoptosis, and necrosis in the eyes which developed tumors from the treatment and control groups were compared. RESULTS: A tumor mass was identified in 8 of 24 (33%) prinomastat-treated eyes and 20 of 24 (83%) of the vehicle-treated eyes. Echographic measurements revealed a mean tumor height of 2.2 mm in the prinomastat-treated group and 3.8 mm in the control group in those eyes with take of tumor (p < 0.001). Stereomicroscopic measurements showed a mean tumor height of 1.9 mm in the treatment group and 3.9 mm in the control group (p < 0.001). The mean number of apoptotic nuclei detected per mm(2) of the histologic section in the non-necrotic tumor was 8.12 in the prinomastat-treated group and 0.57 in the control group (p < 0.001). Evaluation of the digital images in microscopic sections of the tumors on histologic slides revealed 29.6% necrosis in prinomastat-treated eyes as compared to 10.9% in vehicle-treated eyes (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that prinomastat treatment significantly reduces the take rate and the growth rate of xenograft in uveal melanoma rabbit model.