title: Prevalence, natural history and surgical treatment of exophthalmos.
abstract: 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 (greater than 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 131I), 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.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005094:Exophthalmos / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009915:Orbit / Q000601:surgery