Comparative Evaluation Of Confocal Microscopy And Culture Results In The Diagnosos Of Acanthamoeba Keratitis

Abstract

 

Purpose:

 

To compare the agreement between confocal microscopy and corneallaboratory culture in patients with suspected Acanthamoeba keratitis

 

Methods:

 

This study was a retrospective analysis of records of caseswith suspected Acanthamoeba keratitis. Individuals who had suspectedkeratitis and were submitted to both laboratory culture andconfocal microscopy for diagnosis were included in the study.Overall agreement and kappa statistic were calculated to assessthe agreement between the two diagnostic methods.

 

Results:

 

29 individuals who had suspected Acanthamoeba keratitis andwere submitted to both lab culture and confocal microscopy.Mean age was 34.76 ± 11.66 years (Range: 17.4 - 64.1);15 cases (51.7 %) had positive and 14 (48.3%) had a negativeculture for Acanthamoeba. Confocal Microscopy was positive in10 patients (34.5%), negative in 15 pacientes (51.7%) and inconclusivein four patients (13.8%). The overall agreement of both examswas 68%.The kappa statistic was 0.35

 

Conclusions:

 

This study showed a moderate agreement between corneal cultureand confocal microscopy.  

 

 

 

Keywords: Acanthamoeba • microscopy: confocal/tunneling • cornea: epithelium