The Radioactive Phosphorus Uptake Test for Malignant Melanoma of the Eye

Abstract

Introduction Since the first report by Thomas, Krohmer, and Storaasli, in 1952,¹ many excellent studies have confirmed the fact that the measureable uptake of radioactive phosphorus is greater over malignant melanomas of the eye than over normal ocular tissue, intraocular hemorrhage, or serous retinal detachments.^2-14 A wealth of case reports in these papers documents the fact that this difference in uptake may be used clinically to distinguish a malignant melanoma from a more benign condition in the eye. As the experience with this technique has increased, however, it has also become apparent that there are three important limitations to the clinical effectiveness of this test: (1) Lesions at the posterior pole may not be accessible to the probe counter; (2) inflammatory lesions may give false-positive readings for malignant melanomas; (3) inaccuracies inherent in the counting procedure may give false results. For these reasons, a good deal of skepticism