Noninvasive, in vivo Imaging Helps Differentiate Infectious Uveitis
New research published in the Feb. 2010 issue of Ophthalmology shows that in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) using the HRT Cornea Module is helpful for identifying structural differences between infectious and noninfectious uveitis. Differentiation is critical, because the therapeutic approach is entirely different in each situation.
IVCM is a noninvasive technique that can demonstrate anatomic details of organs at the tissue level. It has been used successfully to visualize corneal pathology that cannot be detected by other clinical or diagnostic methods.
This study shows that IVCM analysis of keratic precipitates (KPs) can be used as an adjunct tool to distinguish between infectious and noninfectious uveitis. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value for specific combinations of KPs with an infectious cause were 84.21%, 93.33%, and 96.96%, respectively.
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