Purpose: To examine the usefulness of a near-infrared hyperspectral imager (NIR-HSI) system in discriminating uveal melanoma from other intraocular tumors.
Method: The NIR-HSI, which had been developed as a screening system for age-related macular degeneration, was used to measure near-infrared hyperspectral data (NIR-HSD) of a lesion located at the ocular fundus of 17 Japanese patients, including 5 with choroidal melanoma and 12 with other intraocular tumors. The index was derived from each NIR-HSD. Non-parametric statistical analysis was performed.
Results: Diagnostic accuracy of 94.1% was achieved when the threshold value of the index was set to minimize the average value of false-positive and -negative fractions.
Conclusions: The NIR-HSI system is useful as a noninvasive diagnostic supporting system for choroidal melanoma.