Orbital dirofilariasis: MR findings. (1/184)

Dirofilariasis is a helminthic zoonosis occurring in many parts of the world. We report the findings in a 61-year-old woman who had painless right exophthalmos caused by orbital dirofilariasis. A vivid worm was embedded inside an inflammatory nodule in the right orbit. On T1-weighted MR images, the parasite was visible as a discrete, low-intensity, tubular signal in the center of the nodule surrounded by contrast-enhancing inflammatory tissue.  (+info)

Nodular fasciitis causing unilateral proptosis. (2/184)

A case report of an unusual case of nodular fasciitis in the orbit presenting with unilateral proptosis is described, and the radiological features are outlined. The histological features are discussed and the benign nature of the lesion stressed. Nodular fasciitis arising in the orbit and presenting as unilateral proptosis has not previously been reported in the literature.  (+info)

Serum levels of soluble Fas in patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy. (3/184)

AIM: To assess levels of soluble Fas (sFas) in the sera of patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy. METHODS: The subjects in this study were 43 patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy and 11 normal subjects. Serum levels of sFas were determined by sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, serum levels of thyroid stimulating antibody (TSAB) were also measured in all the patients. RESULTS: The mean serum level of sFas was 1.35 (SD 2.03) ng/ml in patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy, and 0.93 (0.32) ng/ml in normal subjects. Serum levels of sFas in the subgroup of 24 patients with diplopia (1.98 (2.56) ng/ml) were significantly higher than those in the subgroup of 19 patients without diplopia (0.56 (0.24) ng/ml) and normal subjects (p <0.001). Serum levels of sFas in the subgroup of 27 patients with extraocular muscle hypertrophy (1.81 (2. 46) ng/ml) were significantly higher than those in the subgroup of 16 patients without extraocular muscle hypertrophy (0.58 (0.26) ng/ml) among the patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy and normal subjects (p <0.001). Serum levels of sFas were not significantly different between the subgroup of 24 patients with proptosis (1.15 (0.98) ng/ml) and the subgroup of 19 patients without proptosis (1. 61 (2.88)). In contrast, the serum levels of TSAB in the subgroup of patients with proptosis (723% (1161%)) were significantly higher than those in the subgroup of patients without proptosis (194% (122%)) (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated sFas levels were associated with extraocular muscle disorders but not with proptosis. On the other hand, elevated TSAB levels were associated with proptosis but not with extraocular muscle disorders, suggesting different immunological mechanisms for the extraocular muscle disorders and proptosis in Graves' ophthalmopathy. Determination of the serum levels of sFas and TSAB could provide useful markers for evaluation of the immunological processes involved in the development of Graves' ophthalmopathy.  (+info)

Recurrent proptotic diplopia due to congestive expansion of cavernous haemangioma with relapsing right-sided cardiac failure. (4/184)

A 75-year-old man with a recent history of pulmonary embolism, presented with collapse followed by a gran mal seizure and right-sided non-pulsatile proptosis. On recovery, he had diplopia on lateral and upward gaze and signs of congestive cardiac failure. Further pulmonary embolism was proven by lung scintigraphy. Computed tomography of his orbits confirmed a contrast-enhancing space-occupying lesion of the medial wall of the right orbit, with no intracranial abnormality. The patient was investigated for metastatic tumour as a possible cause of the space-occupying lesion and the unprovoked thromboembolic event, but no evidence of malignancy was found. The orbital lesion was not biopsied because of the risk of bleeding from anticoagulation. Three weeks later, the patient represented with recurrent cardiac failure, proptosis, and diplopia. A transorbital ultrasound confirmed an encapsulated, well-defined vascular lesion, with typical appearances and Doppler flow characteristics of a cavernous haemangioma. Diuretic therapy abolished the proptosis and diplopia in tandem with relief of the cardiac failure. This is the first description of recurrent proptosis with diplopia due to recurrent congestive expansion of an orbital cavernous haemangioma.  (+info)

Sebaceous adenoma in the region of the medial canthus causing proptosis. (5/184)

A case of sebaceous adenoma in the region of the medial canthus causing proptosis is presented along with a review of the medical literature. The clinicopathological aspects of the tumour are discussed. The mode of treatment was surgical excision. A six month follow-up showed a reduction in the proptosis with no recurrence.  (+info)

Weber-Christian disease presenting with proptosis: a case report. (6/184)

Weber-Christian disease (WCD) is a rare inflammatory disease of adipose tissue, which is characterized by painful cutaneous nodules and constitutional symptoms. Although any area of the body containing fat can be affected by WCD, the involvement of retrobulbar fat is uncommon and proptosis is a rare presenting manifestation. We report a case who presented with proptosis of the right eye which is accompanied by painful subcutaneous nodules, high fever and myalgia. Biopsies of retrobulbar tissue and suprapubic nodule showed lobular panniculitis with mixed cellular infiltration, mainly composed of histiocytes and lymphocytes. He responded well to high-dose glucocorticoid.  (+info)

Thyroid-stimulating antibody in a patient with euthyroid Graves' disease. (7/184)

We report an 11-year-old girl with euthyroid Graves' disease. She was referred to our clinic because of left exophthalmos without other symptoms suggestive of hyperthyroidism. Her serum concentration of free thyroxine (FT4) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) were normal, but thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was below normal and impaired TSH response to TSH releasing hormone (TRH) was found. Although the sera were positive for anti-TSH receptor antibody (TRAb) and thyroid-stimulating antibody (TSAb), both titers were not as high as usually observed in Graves' disease. Three months later, she developed hyperthyroidism and was treated with propylthiouracil. Within 2 weeks of the initiation of therapy, all symptoms except exophthalmos disappeared, and after 2 months of treatment TRAb was negative though TSAb remained positive. TSAb is therefore a good indicator to use in the diagnosis and follow-up of euthyroid Graves' disease and should be measured in patients with exophthalmos of unknown origin, even in children.  (+info)

Colour Doppler imaging of the orbital vasculature in Graves' disease with computed tomographic correlation. (8/184)

AIMS: To evaluate alterations in orbital blood flow parameters and their correlations with extraocular muscle enlargement, proptosis, and intraocular pressure in patients with Graves' disease. METHODS: In this multicentre study blood flow parameters in the ophthalmic artery, superior ophthalmic vein, central retinal artery and vein were determined by colour Doppler imaging in 111 patients with Graves' disease in two groups (A and B) and 46 normal control subjects. Group A consisted of 42 patients with Graves' disease without ophthalmopathy; group B of 69 patients with Graves' disease with ophthalmopathy as detected by orbital computed tomographic scanning. RESULTS: Peak systolic and end diastolic velocities in the ophthalmic artery, peak systolic velocity in the central retinal artery, and maximal and minimal velocities in the central retinal vein in patients in group B were statistically significantly higher than those in group A and the normal controls, whereas maximal and minimal velocities in the superior ophthalmic vein in patients in group B were statistically significantly lower than those in group A and the control subjects. Peak systolic and end diastolic velocities in the ophthalmic artery, peak systolic velocity in the central retinal artery, and maximal and minimal velocities in the central retinal vein also correlated with the sum of all extraocular muscle diameters in group B (r > or =0.31, p< or =0.021). Blood flow parameters had no consistent correlation with proptosis or intraocular pressure (p>0.05). No statistically significant difference was found in resistivity indices between the groups (p>0.05). Reversed blood flow was noted in nine (13%) superior ophthalmic veins in group B. CONCLUSION: Orbital blood flow velocities are altered in patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy and may be detected by colour Doppler imaging. Some of these changes also correlate with the enlargement of extraocular muscles. The increased blood flow velocities in arteries may be secondary to orbital inflammation.  (+info)