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Visual fields help track progression of ocular tumors in children
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ORLANDO, Fla. – Visual field tests can offer surgeons valuable information regarding the progression of ocular tumors in children, according to a study presented here.
Mary E. Hoehn, MD, and colleagues at the University of Tennessee conducted a retrospective study analyzing the charts of 28 pediatric patients with tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) who underwent repeated visual field testing. Results of the study were presented in a poster at the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus meeting.
“The value of visual field testing in children with CNS lesions has been questioned due to the perception that reliable visual field results cannot be obtained,” study authors said. “We found that visual field tests provide clinically useful information regarding tumor progression in children.”
Each patient underwent at least two visual field tests. After analyzing a total of 116 visual field tests from the 28 patients, 14 patients (12 of whom had tumors in the optic pathway) appeared to have stable disease, as evidenced by stable or improved visual fields (66.67% specificity). Four patients showed progression of their ocular tumors, marked by the decline of visual field capability (57.14% sensitivity).