Intra‐Ocular Mass Diagnosed with Bedside Ultrasound

Patients with ocular masses are rarely diagnosed in the emergency department (ED). Appropriate diagnosis and ophthalmologic follow up is necessary to delay complications. However, in the ED, the fundoscopic examination can be limited. Ocular ultrasound has been shown to be a feasible and readily accessible way to diagnose ocular disorders in the ED. We report a case of a 39‐year‐old female who presented to the ED with headache, neurological complaints, and vision changes. A bedside ocular ultrasound was performed in the ED which showed a large intra‐ocular mass. Our patient received urgent ophthalmologic consultation and was admitted for further work‐up revealing an ocular melanoma. Ocular malignant melanomas have a high mortality rate, especially with delay in diagnosis and metastasis. This case demonstrates that bedside ultrasound is a fast and reliable investigation modality to diagnose ocular masses. (Hong Kong j.emerg.med. 2014;21: 48‐50)