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PREVALENCE, NATURAL HISTORY AND SURGICAL TREATMENT OF EXOPHTHALMOS
Author(s) -
STREETEN D. H. P.,
ANDERSON G. H.,
REED G. F.,
WOO P.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
clinical endocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1365-2265
pISSN - 0300-0664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1987.tb00848.x
Subject(s) - exophthalmos , medicine , natural history , graves' disease , decompression , surgery , thyroid
SUMMARY The 95% confidence limits of exophthalmometer measurements have been defined by a single observer in 105 individuals who had no known thyroid disease, and found to be 10.5‐18.8 mm. Measurements in 308 patients with thyrotoxicosis have shown that exophthalmos (>19 mm) of one or both eyes was present in 21‐3% of the patients. Among the 122 thyrotoxic patients whose exophthalmometer measurements could be performed annually for 3‐19 years after correction of the thyrotoxicosis (usually with 131 I), exophthalmos remained stable in 78.7%, worsened in 15.6% and became less severe in 5.7% of the patients. Transantral decompression of the orbits was performed in 15 patients with rapid subjective improvement in all and reduction in exophthalmometer measurements of 3.6 ± 0.5 (mean ± SEM) mm, and no serious side‐effects. In view of these findings, transantral decompression should be considered more frequently in the treatment of severe or cosmetically damaging exophthalmos.