Aspiration Biopsy in Intraocular Tumors

DESPITE progressive advance in the clinical diagnosis of intraocular tumors, there are occasional cases in which diagnosis is doubtful. Most confusion arises from inability to distinguish between serous retinal detachment and detachment which is partly solid and partly serous. In the days before successful retinal detachment surgery, no great harm was caused by the removal of the eye on suspicion of tumor. The eye was destined to blindness under any circumstance. With the present high rate of cures following retinal detachment surgery, enucleation is not considered unless there is very strong evidence of tumor. Usually careful clinical study of the eye will make the diagnosis of intraocular tumor almost certain. Rarely, owing to hazy media or very high detachment, reasonable doubt as to the presence of tumor may exist. In such cases aspiration biopsy has been suggested. Intraocular biopsy by scleral puncture is not a new procedure. Von Grósz,1