title: Review of 268 lacrimal gland biopsies in an Australian cohort.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To review the distribution of pathology in lacrimal gland biopsies performed in an Australian cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred sixty-eight lacrimal gland biopsies from 263 patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pathology archives in South Australia and Victoria were searched for lacrimal gland biopsies performed between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2012. Data retrieved included the year of biopsy, the histopathological diagnosis, patient age and gender.
  
  
  METHODS
  Distribution of pathology affecting the lacrimal gland; patient age and gender.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The distribution of lacrimal gland pathology was: inflammations and vasculitides 50.0%, lymphomas 19.8%, lymphoid hyperplasias 12.3%, benign epithelial tumours 7.8% (all pleomorphic adenomas), malignant epithelial tumours 4.1%, dacryops 3.0% and miscellaneous 3.0%. The mean age was 52 years, with lymphoma affecting the oldest patient group (64.6 years) and sarcoidosis the youngest (40.6 years). Of the patients with biopsy-confirmed dacryoadenitis, biopsy revealed a specific diagnosis in 34% of cases. Immunoglobulin G4-related disease was the most common 'specific' dacryoadenitis. Significantly more pleomorphic adenomas were diagnosed in the period 1997-2004 than the period 2005-2012 inclusive, but there were no other significant changes in the distribution of pathology over time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Two thirds of dacryoadenitis was 'non-specific', two thirds of epithelial tumours were pleomorphic adenomas and approximately two thirds of all lacrimal gland biopsies were accounted for by inflammations and lymphoid hyperplasias. The ratio of inflammations to neoplasias will be significantly influenced by the clinician's threshold for biopsying patients presenting with features of dacryoadenitis.
authors.affiliation: South Australian Institute of Ophthalmology and the University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia.
authors.forename: Nicholas H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Andrew
authors.forename: Alan A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: McNab
authors.forename: Dinesh
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Selva
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007765:Lacrimal Apparatus / Q000473:pathology*; D007766:Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers
keywords: dacryoadenitis; lacrimal gland; pathology