Orbital tumors: An analysis of fourteen cases

Abstract

Aim: Orbital tumors are rarely seen in neurosurgery practice. They have quite variable clinical results, and are often reported in the literature as a series in relation to the patient’s age, geographical factors, and whether they were treated at neurosurgery or ophthalmology clinics. In our study, we evaluated the pathological results, demographic characteristics, and clinical results of patients who had undergone surgery for orbital tumors in our clinic. Material and Methods: Fourteen patients who were operated on between 2012 and 2017 at the Adana City Training and Research Hospital were investigated in this study. The patient files and radiological investigations were evaluated retrospectively, and the patients were followed up for 22 months (min-max: 14-28 months) ona verage. The patients were evaluated in terms of their admission complaints, preoperative and postoperative neurological examination findings, surgical approaches, pathologic results, and complications. Results: Eight patients (57%) were females, 6 (43%) were males, and their average age was 49.4 years old (min-max:19-86). The most common admission complaint was swelling around the eye, which was observed in 12 (85%) of the patients. The computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans of all of the patients were investigated before their operations. The masses were removed from 5 (35%) patients with lesions located in the anterior and lateral areas using a lateral canthotomy technique. A fronto-orbital zygomaticapproachwas preferred for5 (35%) patients with intracranial extensions of the tumors toward the temporal fossa or frontal region. A fronto-orbitalapproach was preferred in 4 (28%) of the patients with tumor locations in the posterior and medial chambers. The masses were totally removed in 11 (79%) of the patients and subtotally removed in 3 (21%) patients. Conclusion: Overall, orbital masses are rarely observed, and their pathological profiles vary according to the patient’s age, geographical region, and location. Different approaches may be preferred during surgical removal; however, the overall purpose is to remove the mass without leading to neural and cosmetic complications