6a: Concepts for Diagnosis - Real Time
Real Time
Real Time in Contact B-scan Ultrasonography refers to the appreciation of motion of globe structures during the examination.
The examining probe is held immobile against the lid and the patient is asked to move their eye voluntarily. In the normal exam, only the vitreous gel moves. If the vitreous is attached, movement of subtle intravitreous reflections will move fairly rapidly but will be quickly tethered since the formed vitreous is applied to the surface of the retina. When the formed vitreous face separates during vitreous detachment, this motion increases in amount and tethering is no longer seen.
When other processes are present, such as vitreous hemorrhage or retinal detachment, the motion of the abnormal echoes helps to identify the abnormality based upon the peculiar movement. This concept of motion during ultrasonic examination is combined with the other concepts, Gray Scale and 3-D Thinking, to approach a diagnosis.
PLEASE NOTE: This site is not a diagnostic tool, but rather one that addresses basic education. There is no intent to make diagnoses for those utilizing this website and it cannot be used for such a purpose.
