Accuracy of Point of Care Ultrasound in Assessment of Traumatic Eye Injuries

Background: A few studies have been conducted to assess the accuracy of point of care ultrasound in traumatic eye injuries. In the present study we aimed to examine the diagnostic value of Point of Care Ultrasound to assess eye injuries resulting from trauma. Materials and Methods: This observational study was performed on 221 consecutive patients with ocular trauma who admitted to emergency department of two teaching hospitals in 2016. On admission, all patients underwent ocular bedside ultrasonography to reveal ocular defects resulting from trauma. The diagnostic results of Point of Care Ultrasound were compared to the findings of clinical assessment of ophthalmologist as the gold standard. Results: Overalls, 13 lesions (5.9%) were revealed as ocular pathological lesions following trauma including retinal detachment in 6 cases, foreign body in 6 cases, and vitreous hemorrhage in one case. In this regard, Point of Care Ultrasound has a sensitivity of 86.7%, specificity of 94.7%, positive predictive value of 54.2%, negative predictive value of 98.9%, and an accuracy of 94.1%. The agreement coefficient between ultrasound and expert clinical assessment was 0.64 indicating an acceptable degree of agreement. (P<0.001). Conclusion: Along with clinical assessment, Point of Care Ultrasonography of eye can accurately assess traumatic eye lesions.