Abstract
Because the authors' results in patients with decrease of visual acuity treated with orbital decompression were so favourable they decided to start decompressing patients for cosmetic reasons only. A total number of 99 orbits were decompressed. Fifty-eight orbits were decompressed because of malignant Graves' ophthalmopathy, via the anterior (20 orbits), the anterolateral (14 orbits) and the coronal (14 orbits) approach. Fifty-one orbits of patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy were decompressed for cosmetic reasons, 22 orbits via the anterior approach, 29 were decompressed coronally. It appeared that even a decrease of preoperative motility impairment in 20% of patients was achieved. Interruption of pathological fibrotic strings and adhesions between orbital connective tissue and the periorbit probably explains these favourable results.