Unilateral exophthalmos investigated by infrared thermography

A group of 40 cases of unilateral exophthalmos have been investigated using infrared thermography. Two groups of cases can be distinguished according to the intensity of thermal anomalies: (a) no hyperthermy, allowing exclusion of an acute inflammation and rather suggesting an endocrinal process that nevertheless includes the possibility of a deep and/or weakly thermogenous tumor and (b) marked orbital hyperthermy, excluding any endocrinal origin and generally reflecting a malignant tumor.