Panorama of orbital space-occupying lesions. The 24-year experience of a referral centre.

PURPOSE

The aim of this survey was to study the frequency and management of orbital lesions requiring incisional or excisional biopsy for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

METHODS

A histopathological review of specimens from 300 consecutive patients with space-occupying orbital lesions managed over a period of 24 years at a tertiary referral centre.

RESULTS

The lesions could be attributed to 73 different entities with low-grade, non-Hodgkin lymphoma being the most common. More than half (54.3%) of lesions were neoplastic and malignant disease was present in 29.0% of patients. The majority of lesions were biopsied using the anterior transseptal or transconjunctival approach.

CONCLUSION

Most orbital space-occupying lesions requiring biopsy are benign and easily accessible. However, the diversity of these rare lesions and complexity of management suggest that patient care is best provided by a team of experienced subspecialists at a designated orbital centre.