Intraocular tumours imaging with transpalpebral near-infrared LED transillumination: Pilot study

PURPOSE: To determine the possible use of near-infrared(NIR) light-emitting-diode (LED) radiation for imaging intraocular tumours by transpalpebral transillumination. METHODS: This study was a pilot, open-label, prospective and non-interventional. Thirty patients (30 eyes; age 30–72 years) with uveal melanomas located in the iris, ciliary body, or choroid were under our observation. A biomicroscopy, ophthalmoscopy, transpalpebral NIR transillumination, and ultrasound examination were performed in all cases. RESULTS: In all cases, NIR transillumination with transpalpebral approach enables visualization of the ciliary body and accurately estimates the projection of the pars plicata and ora serrata onto the sclera. In all patients, transpalpebral NIR transillumination made it possible to image the shadow of intraocular melanoma, estimate its dimensions and location concerning the ciliary body structures. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend the non-invasive transpalpebral NIR transillumination technique, together with traditional ultrasound imaging, to improve the accuracy of assessing the size and location of intraocular tumours.