Orbital tumors : a prospective study of 95 cases

Abstract EN

Background: A wide variety of tumors and pseudotumors can involve the orbit.

Although the incidence of orbital tumors is relatively low, the diagnosis and the treatment strategy for such tumors are of great concern to neurosurgeons and ophthalmologists.

Objectives: The main aim of this study is to determine the distribution of patient age, sex, pathology, origin, and location of orbital tumors for optimum management because the delay in the diagnosis and treatment is the most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality.

Materials and Methods: In this study, 95 cases of orbital tumors are studied prospectively during 10 years’ period in the Hilla Teaching Hospital in Babylon-Iraq from 2008 to 2018.

The parameters dealt with in this study included; the distribution of patient age and sex, clinical manifestations, investigations, pathology, origin of tumors and tumor location in the orbit, management, surgical procedures, and mortality in 95 patients (aged from 6 months to 75 years, the mean age is 29.8).

Results: In this study, the highest age group incidence of orbital tumors is in the first decade of life which constitutes (24.2%), the second peak is in the fourth decade of life which constitutes (17.9%).

42 (44.2%) of the patients are males and 53 (55.8%) of the patients are females.

Among the 95 cases, 76 (80%) are primary orbital tumors, 15 (15.8%) are secondary orbital tumors (tumors that originating from contiguous regions), and 4 (4.2%) are metastatic orbital tumors.

Orbital tumors location; 83 (87.4%) are extraconal and 12 (12.6%) are intraconal.

The two most common orbital tumors are dermoid cyst (27.4%) and pseudotumor (16.8%).

Overall mortality is seven patients (7.4%).

Conclusion: Orbital tumors are a relatively rare and challenging group of tumors.

The age of onset, state of vision, tumor location in the orbit and other radiological findings provide the most important information for the diagnosis of orbital tumor prior biopsy or surgical resection and to make decision about other further treatment modality.

For any patient complain from visual loss, proptosis, and impaired ocular motility, it is better to undergo magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography-scan imaging to detect or exclude intraorbital or intracranial diseases.