[The tomographic diagnosis of Basedow's orbitopathy]

The inflammatory and infectious circumstances involving the orbit are known as 'orbitopathies' Considering the progress of immunology and imagistical investigations, it has been proposed a new classification of these entities. This classification divides the orbithopathies in specific and nonspecific. This paper brings up the case of a 65 year old female patient, showing unilateral proptosis with progressive evolution for about one year. The local examination and paraclinical investigations (computerised tomography and thyroid gland scintigram) sustained the diagnosis of Basedow disease. The ophthalmopathy in Basedow disease is a specific orbital involvement. Considering it's high rate of occurrence among the exophthalmic eyes (10%) it rests a severe disease, with a not yet fully understood physiopathology and a controversial treatment. The basedowian ophthalmopathy is, as well, an autoimmune disease, which requires the presence of T lymphocytes at the level of the orbital tissue. The computerised tomography gives us a direct visualisation of the enlarged muscles in hyperthyroidism (the muscles can increase 8 times their normal size), that is why we have to recommend it every time we are facing a patient with proptosis, especially unilateral.