July - September 2008, Volume 4, Issue 3

Costan VV, Preda C, Bogdanici C, Trandafir D, Costan R, Vicol C, Moisii L, Zbranca E, Voroneanu M

Surgical treatment in Graves ophthalmopathy - case report

Acta Endo (Buc) 2008, 4 (3): 345-352
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2008.345

Despite an adequate medical treatment of Graves ophthalmopathy (GO), sometimes surgery is required to establish accurate eye movement and avoid severe complications. We present such a woman with Basedow's disease and evolutive exophthalmia despite adequate medical approach. At the admission (2005) she had clinical signs of thyrotoxicosis, TSH = 0.1 mUI/L, FT4 = 4.2 ng/dl and antithyroperoxidase antibodies = 342 UI/ml. Proptosis was 26 mm at the right eye and 25 mm at the left one, with intraocular tension 20 mmHg and NO SPECS score 4. Treatment with methimazole (30 mg/day), propranolol (30 mg/day), and corticotherapy (Metilprednisolone, 3x1g/day iv), improved the hyperthyroidism but not the ocular signs. The euthyroidism was maintained with 5 mg Methimazole daily. In February 2006 a new pulse therapy with Metilprednisolone (1g/day iv 3 days) was started, followed by Prednisone 30 mg /day, without significant improvement of the ocular signs. In June 2006, TSH receptor antibodies were high, TRAb=16.3 U/l, with euthyroid status but evolutive proptosis. The MRI showed an increase of the volume of all intraorbital muscles, a decrease of the optic nerve diameter. The patient had progressive GO with photophobia, palpebral edema, hyperlacrimation and conjunctivitis. The surgical treatment was decided when the proptosis was 25 mm and the intraocular tension was 19 mm Hg for both eyes. The patient was submitted to orbital content decompression through lipectomy and osteotomy of the orbital floor. The postoperative follow-up was uneventful. Two years postsurgery, exophthalmometry was 17 mm at right eye and 18 at the left eye, with an intraocular tension of 13 mm Hg. The MRI showed normal intraorbital muscles and ocular globe; the bicanthal lines were anterior to the posterior pole of the ocular globe. The patient had no limitation of the eyes movements, photophobia or conjunctivitis and a significant esthetic improvement.

Keywords: bone orbital decompression, orbital lipectomy, Graves's ophthalmopathy

Correspondence: Victor Vlad Costan, MD, Str. Sf. Atanasie 7, Iasi, Romania, Tel. +40743118228, email: victorcostan@gmail.com