Table 3.
A comparison of the results of our study with the two other large studies looking at the natural history of conjunctival naevi [2, 3].
| Variable | This study | Shields et al. [2] | Levecq et al. [3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age at presentation, mean (range), years | 12 (4–19) | 30 (2–93) | 31 (1–90) |
| Male | 47 (61%) | 201 (49%) | 140 (55%) |
| Female | 30 (39%) | 209 (51%) | 115 (45%) |
| Race | |||
| White | 24 (31%) | 365 (89%) | 218 (85%) |
| Black | 10 (13%) | 23 (6%) | 32 (13.5%) |
| Asian | 16 (21%) | 8 (2%) | 3 (1%) |
| Mixed | 1 (1%) | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown | 22 (29%) | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 4 (5%) | 14 (3%) | 2 (<1%) |
| Naevus location | |||
| Bulbar | 74 (96%) | 302 (72%) | 170 (66.6%) |
| Caruncle | 3 (4%) | 61 (15%) | 56 (22%) |
| Quadrant | |||
| Temporal | 41 (53%) | 190 (46%) | 89 (36%) |
| Nasal | 32 (42%) | 184 (44%) | 129 (52%) |
| Superior | 4 (5%) | 23 (6%) | 21 (8%) |
| Inferior | 0 | 21 (5%) | 9 (4%) |
| Largest basal diameter, mean (range), mm | 4.8 (1.0–10) | 4.1 (0.2–30.0) | 4.3 |
| Colour | |||
| Brown | 44 (57%) | 271 (65%) | 131 (51%) |
| Tan | 3 (4%) | 80 (19%) | 71 (28%) |
| Amelanotic | 14 (18%) | 67 (16%) | 53 (21%) |
| Mixed | 16 (21%) | 0 | 0 |
| Cysts present | 63 (82%) | 271 (65%) | 146 (57%) |
| Feeder vessels present | 21 (27%) | 137 (33%) | 69 (27%) |
| Intrinsic vessels present | 24 (31%) | 160 (38%) | 54 (21%) |
| Hair present | 1 (1%) | Not reported | Not reported |
| Anterior margin touching limbus | 44 (57%) | 202 (48%) | 104 (41%) |
| Growth during observation period | 5/59 (8.5%) | 10/149 (7%) | Not reported |
| Pigment change during observation period | 8/59 (14%) | 20/149 (13%) | Not reported |
| Reason for excisional biopsy | |||
| Patient request | 9 (75%) | 16 (10%) | 62 (83%) |
| Rule out malignancy | 3 (25%) | 144 (90%) | 13 (17%) |
| Histologic type | |||
| Compound nevus | 8/12 (66.6%) | 103/151 (68%) | 55/75 (74%) |
| Junctional nevus | 1/12 (8.3%) | 5/151 (3%) | 4/75 (5%) |
| Combined nevus | 1/12 (8.3%) | 6/151 (4%) | 0 |
| Intraepithelial naevus | 1/12 (8.3%) | 0 | |
| Other naevus | 0 | 34/151 (23%) | 16 (21%) |
| Melanoma | 1/12 (8.3%) | 3/151 (2%) | 0 |