MRI of ‘limited value’ in detecting prelaminar, postlaminar infiltration

ESSEN, Germany — The visualization capabilities of magnetic resonance for prelaminar or postlaminar infiltration of the optic nerve is of “limited value,” according to a study. While the imaging technique cannot replace computed tomography in detecting tumor calcification, it “should be possible to renounce CT scans in the majority of cases of retinoblastoma,” the study authors wrote.

A.O. Schueler, MD, and colleagues here compared preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the histology of 21 eyes that had been enucleated due to retinoblastoma. “Preoperative MRI scans depict juxtapapillary tumor masses, but it was impossible to differentiate between a juxtapapillary retinoblastoma, a prelaminar infiltration in the optic disc or a postlaminar optic nerve infiltration,” the authors wrote in the March issue of British Journal of Ophthalmology.