Diagnostic ultrasound in cases of acute iritis.

The A-scan ultrasound technique was used to examine the vitreous bodies of both the sick and the healthy eye in 47 patients with acute iritis. The acoustic findings were then compared to observations made with the slit lamp. Of the 47 iritis eyes, only 19 were amenable to a least some degree of optical examination. The most common factors preventing optical examination were opacity of the aqueous humor and posterior synechia. Comparison of optical and acoustic findings were difficult, since optical examination was possible in only 19 eyes. It would seem, however, that there is a farily close correlation between acoustic and optical findings. Ultrasound often offers the only possibility of ascertaining the presence and degree of exudation in cases of acute iritis, and such information may be important in planning treatment and following the course of the disease.