Ultrasound reliability in detection of retinal tear in acute symptomatic posterior vitreous detachment with vitreous hemorrhage

Cross-sectional study of 75 consecutive patients presenting with acute symptomatic posterior vitreous detachment (ASPVD) and vitreous hemorrhage was conducted at University Eye Clinic, University Hospital "Sveti Duh", Zagreb, Croatia. To check ultrasound reliability in detecting retinal tears in patients with ASPVD, transpalpebral ultrasound of the eye and the orbit was performed followed by fundus examination initially and in 6wk period. In 13 (17%) patients membranous lesion with ultrasound characteristics of retinal tear was detected. Ophthalmoscopy confirmed the diagnosis in 8/13 patients. In 62/75 patients neither ultrasound nor clinical examination revealed retinal tear. Sensitivity of ultrasound examination was 100%, specificity 92%, positive predictive value 62% and negative predictive value 100%. Ultrasound proved to be a reliable and accurate method for detection of retinal tears in ASPVD. Given the high sensitivity and negative predictive value, negative result on B-scan ultrasound excludes the probability of the retinal tear with a high degree of certainty.