Diagnostic routes in cases with single involvement in eyes suspected of sarcoidosis.

The ocular involvement of sarcoidosis is particularly important in Japan, because 1. the frequency of the eye involvement is as high as 20 to 40%, higher than in other countries- 2. the presence of this involvement proved to be an influential factor relating to the whole sarcoidosis lesions of a patient, and 3. the patients with this involvement will become blind unless adequately treated. In diagnostic routines of ocular sarcoidosis, chest X-rays will give the most useful information of the disease. If the chest X-ray findings are normal, it is not easy to make a diagnosis of a case whose ocular findings are very suspicious of sarcoidosis. This paper will give several case experiences in which we could successfully make a diagnosis, using mediastinoscopical biopsies though the X-rays had no findings.