High resolution ultrasound with Doppler: a diagnostic adjunct in orbital and ocular lesions in children

Twenty-six infants and children with orbital and ocular pathology were examined with ultrasound (US) utilizing real-time imaging and Duplex Pulsed Doppler evaluation. Twenty-two of these patients underwent concurrent orbital computed tomography (CT) and two had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Orbital and periorbital lesions included hemangioma, dermoid, lymphangioma, rhabdomyosarcoma, encephalocoele and abscess. Ocular lesions included infection, trauma, retinal detachment, retinoblastoma, Coat's disease, and persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous. High resolution US with Doppler provided unique diagnostic information in patients with penetrating ocular trauma, orbital and periorbital masses, and intraocular structural abnormalities. High resolution US examination of the eye and periorbital tissues is readily performed using widely available equipment and often delineates subtle structural abnormalities not shown by CT or MRI.