title: Infraorbital nerve swelling associated with autoimmune pancreatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study was to examine the relation between autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and infraorbital nerve swelling.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 11 AIP patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination of the head and neck region. The infraorbital nerve thicknesses were measured on coronal images and compared with those of a control group. We also examined whether the infraorbital nerve thicknesses were altered from before to after steroid therapy in nine patients who underwent MRI examination after such therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean thicknesses were 3.8 ± 2.0 mm in the AIP group and 2.6 ± 0.5 mm in the control group (P < 0.05). The nerve thicknesses were >5 mm in 5 of 11 patients (45%) in the AIP group, and <5 mm in all of the control group. Among the nine patients who underwent MRI examination after steroid therapy, three had shown nerve swelling before steroid therapy; the therapy diminished the swelling in all three patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Infraorbital nerve swelling was observed more frequently in AIP patients than in patients without a history of AIP. Therefore, such swelling seems to be an extrapancreatic lesion of AIP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan. tomoharu@shinshu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tomoharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Yasunari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujinaga
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawakami
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hatta
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamano
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawa
authors.forename: Masumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kadoya
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000368:Aged; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D003389:Cranial Nerve Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004487:Edema / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008442:Maxillary Nerve / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D007074:Immunoglobulin G