Assessing the Accuracy of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Detecting Post-laminar Optic Nerve Invasion in Patients with Retinoblastoma with Histopathology as Gold Standard

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of MRI in detecting post-laminar optic nerve invasion in pediatric patients with retinoblastoma. Methodology: This study was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Children's Hospital Lahore from 30/12/2022 to 29/06/2023. The study included 139 pediatric patients diagnosed with retinoblastoma. The study included both male and female participants aged ≤8 years, with clinical and imaging assessments of optic nerve involvement. MRI was utilized to assess optic nerve involvement, with histopathological examination serving as the gold standard. Results: MRI demonstrated a sensitivity of 87.1%, specificity of 73.7%, and accuracy of 83.5% in diagnosing post-laminar optic nerve invasion. The positive predictive value was 89.8%, while the negative predictive value was 68.3%. These findings highlight MRI's reliability as a diagnostic tool. Conclusion: MRI is a reliable, non-invasive imaging modality for the diagnosis of post-laminar optic nerve invasion in pediatric retinoblastoma cases. Its high sensitivity and accuracy advocate for its preferred use in clinical practice for suspected cases. Key Words: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Non-invasive, Optic Nerve Invasion, Pediatric Retinoblastoma, Post-laminar, Sensitivity, Specificity