title: CT and MR Imaging in the Diagnosis of Scleritis.
abstract: Scleritis is a rare, underdiagnosed vision-threatening condition that can occur isolated or in association with other orbital abnormalities. The etiology of scleritis is mainly inflammatory noninfectious, either idiopathic or in the context of systemic disease. Ultrasonography remains the criterion standard in diagnostic imaging of this condition but might prove insufficient, and studies on the diagnostic value of CT and MR imaging are lacking. We retrospectively analyzed 11 cases of scleritis in which CT and/or MR imaging were performed during the active phase of disease and assessed the diagnostic utility of these techniques. The most important imaging findings of scleritis were scleral enhancement, scleral thickening, and focal periscleral cellulitis. MR imaging is the recommended imaging technique, though posterior scleritis also can be accurately diagnosed on CT. It is important for the radiologist to be acquainted with these findings because being able to diagnose scleritis is of clinical significance and might be vision-saving.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neuroradiology (M.C.D.), Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, Lisbon, Portugal mariana.cardoso.diogo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: M C
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8459-910X
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Diogo
authors.affiliation: Departments of Ophthalmology (M.J.J.).
authors.forename: M J
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2261-3820
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Jager
authors.affiliation: Radiology (T.A.F.), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: T A
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1115-6292
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D035583:Rare Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015423:Scleritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*