title: Potential correlation between menopausal status and the clinical course of orbital cavernous hemangiomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the clinical course of radiologically diagnosed orbital cavernous hemangiomas in the setting of presumed changes in estrogen/progesterone levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  An institutional review board-approved retrospective cohort chart review of patients from January 1, 1983, to January 1, 2013, was undertaken searching both outpatient ophthalmology diagnoses and radiologic diagnoses, identifying 32 orbital cavernous hemangiomas, which were subsequently divided into group 1, presumed to have stable levels of estrogen/progesterone, and group 2, presumed to have decreasing levels of estrogen/progesterone. Patients were then categorized as having short-term, mid-range, or long-term follow up. Serial imaging studies were evaluated and graded as having increased, decreased, or remained stable in size.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In group 1, no lesions decreased in size, 69% remained stable, and 31% increased in size. In group 2, no lesions increased in size, 45% remained stable, and 55% decreased in size. When evaluating only those patients with long-term follow up, many masses in group 1 increased in size, while the majority in group 2 decreased in size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study evaluating orbital cavernous hemangiomas over a span of 30 years, the authors found that in postmenopausal women with assumed decreasing levels of circulating estrogen/progesterone, the vast majority of lesions either remained stable or decreased in size, suggesting the effect of hormone levels on such vascular lesions and supporting the role for observation in asymptomatic individuals in this patient population.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Ophthalmology and †Department of Radiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Anupam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jayaram
authors.forename: Gary S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Lissner
authors.forename: Liza M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Achilles G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Karagianis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004967:Estrogens / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006392:Hemangioma, Cavernous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009918:Orbital Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D011374:Progesterone