title: The diagnosis and treatment of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is written in the plastic surgery literature about thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), a condition that is separate from Graves-Basedow disease and may not be accompanied by hyperthyroidism. Many patients with this disease frequently seek periocular aesthetic reconstruction prior to medical workup.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study presents a comprehensive review of the literature surrounding TAO in order to better understand the prevalence, diagnosis, pathophysiology, and appropriate management of TAO.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TAO is frequently under- or misdiagnosed by health-care providers. Patients seeking blepharoplasty or other oculoplastic procedures may have underlying TAO, and the prevalence of TAO in patients who have had a blepharoplasty is approximately 3%. This condition occurs five times more often in women than in men. As a product of the relatively high prevalence of this disease and its underdiagnosis, TAO patients may experience perioperative and late complications due to surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Blepharoplasties performed on TAO patients must be undertaken with care and insight to avoid cosmetic and functional complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. djgould@bcm.edu
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.forename: Forrest S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: Charles N S
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Soparkar
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D049970:Graves Ophthalmopathy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans