Test yourself
Ocular ultrasound: make the eye move
5 questions. Pick an answer to see whether you are right and why. Your score appears at the end.
Question 1A thick, bright membrane is fixed to the optic disc and moves little with eye movement. What is it?
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Answer c. The retina is anchored at the optic disc, so a detached retina stays tethered there. It is thick and bright and moves little. A posterior vitreous detachment is thin, mobile and not tethered at the disc.
Question 2When must you not perform ocular ultrasound?
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Answer c. Pressure on an open globe risks extruding the eye's contents. With penetrating trauma or a suspected rupture, protect the eye with a shield and refer urgently.
Question 3Why do you choose the ophthalmic preset?
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Answer a. The lens and retina are sensitive to heating and mechanical effects. The ophthalmic preset keeps the mechanical index and thermal output within the stricter limits for the eye. Keep the scan short.
Question 4Grey, swirling echoes fill the vitreous and move like a snow globe after eye movement. What is the most likely diagnosis?
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Answer d. Blood in the vitreous gives low-level echoes which swirl after eye movement. Turn the gain up to see them. Look carefully for a detachment hidden within the haemorrhage.
Question 5A patient with new flashes and floaters has a normal ocular ultrasound. What do you do?
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Answer d. Ultrasound does not exclude a small retinal tear, and it is less sensitive for posterior vitreous detachment. New flashes and floaters need a dilated examination by ophthalmology the same day.
Practise it with us
Four or five delegates per instructor, FAMUS-accredited faculty and long, supervised time on the probe.
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