ArticleBMC ophthalmology2026
Diagnostic and therapeutic impact of PCR in uveitis: real-world data from intraocular fluid analysis of 45 uveitis patients in a tertiary referral center in Turkey.
Article in BMC ophthalmology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeTo evaluate the diagnostic utility and real-world clinical impact of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of aqueous humor (AH) and vitreous samples in patients with uveitis including suspected infectious and mixed (infectious/non-infectious) etiologies. Although intraocular PCR is a well-established diagnostic technique, its contribution to diagnostic revision and clinical decision-making in routine practice remains incompletely characterized. This study addresses this gap by assessing the impact of PCR on diagnostic revision, clinical management and regional epidemiological patterns in a tertiary referral center in Turkey.
methodsA retrospective review was conducted on 45 eyes of 45 patients with uveitis. PCR testing was performed on AH (n = 24) and vitreous samples (n = 21) for Herpes simplex virus (HSV), Varicella zoster virus (VZV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Toxoplasma gondii, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis based on clinical suspicion. Pathogen-specific uniplex real-time PCR assays providing qualitative and quantitative results were used. PCR findings were evaluated in conjunction with clinical presentation to assess their contribution to diagnostic revision, diagnostic certainty, and clinical management.
resultsThe mean patient age was 47.4 ± 17.3 years, and 51.1% of the patients were female; 28.9% were immunosuppressed. Overall PCR positivity was 42.2% (19/45). PCR positivity was higher in immunosuppressed patients than in immunocompetent patients (62.0% vs. 34.4%), although this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.094). PCR positivity was higher in AH samples than in vitreous samples (50.0% vs. 33.3%). PCR analysis led to diagnostic revision in 33.3% (15/45) of patients and influenced clinical management decisions in 80.0% of cases. Positive PCR results were significantly associated with diagnostic certainty (p = 0.006), whereas PCR-negative patients had a markedly higher likelihood of requiring diagnostic and therapeutic modification compared to PCR-positive patients (OR 21.0, 95% CI 2.4-182, p = 0.001).
conclusionPCR analysis of intraocular fluids provides meaningful diagnostic value in the evaluation of uveitis. Both positive and negative results inform clinical decision-making by guiding diagnostic revision and supporting appropriate management strategies. These findings provide region-specific epidemiological data and reinforce intraocular PCR as a key adjunct in complex uveitis cases where clinical features alone are insufficient.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.