ORBITOGRAPHY.

Abstract

HomeRadiologyVol. 69, No. 5 PreviousNext EditorialOrbitographyPublished Online:Nov 1 1957https://doi.org/10.1148/69.5.750MoreSectionsPDF ToolsImage ViewerAdd to favoritesCiteTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked In AbstractIn various areas of the body where routine radiography has been of limited usefulness in definitive diagnosis, contrast studies have proved of value in supplying needed information. One of these areas is the orbit. Here conventional roentgenography has been of aid in determining bony changes and the localization of opaque foreign bodies, and occasionally in the demonstration of abnormal soft-tissue calcification. It has failed, however, to afford satisfactory visualization of the retrobulbar soft tissues. To supply this deficiency and to afford differentiation of the bulb and retrobulbar space, workers in recent years have employed various contrast agents to outline this area with greater clarity.Among early investigators in this field were Gasteiger and Grauer, who injected air into Tenon's capsule in animals to visualize the posterior surface of the eyeball and the optic nerve. Subsequently Spackman employed this method for the localization of foreign bodies in cases of double perforation of the eyeball. During World War II, Scheie and Hodes used oxygen as a contrast medium to differentiate intraocular and extraocular foreign bodies, especially when these were multiple.While most of the early work was concerned with foreign body localization, the more recent application of contrast study of the orbit has been for the detection of tumors and their secondary effects. In 1952, de Abreu reported demonstration of a mass in 8 cases of suspected orbital tumor. He combined air injection with tomography and was able to determine the size, configuration, and location of the neoplasms. Dubilier, von Gal, Freemond, and Evans employed the same technic in 12 cases of unilateral exophthalmos in which tumor was suspected. In 6 cases soft-tissue masses, including one pseudotumor, were demonstrated. Dubilier and his associates describe the technic of injection and subsequent roentgenography in their communication.Bertelsen and Petersen have recently reported their experience with 8 cases in which they obtained tomograms following air injection. The air is injected into Tenon's capsule if the clinical signs point to a juxtabulbar tumor or involvement of the globe itself. If a retrobulbar lesion is suspected, the air is introduced into the retrobulbar space.Opacifying media have also been employed to provide contrast radiography of the orbit, with varying degrees of success. The oily media have, however, proved to be so slowly absorbed that chronic inflammatory changes have been attributed to their use. Their distribution in the tissues has also tended to be uneven. Recent workers have experimented with water-soluble agents.Manchester, Bonmati, Leigh, and Calhoun used Diodrast in their experimental studies, making the injection into the muscle cone, which is formed by the four rectus muscles as they leave the eye and converge posteriorly at the apex of the orbit.Article HistoryPublished in print: Nov 1957 FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsRecommended Articles RSNA Education Exhibits RSNA Case Collection Vol. 69, No. 5 Metrics Altmetric Score PDF download