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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach for Thyroid Lobectomy
Published on: May 12, 2023
Temporal fossa orbital decompression for treatment of disfiguring thyroid-related orbitopathy
1Department of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmic Plastic, Orbital & Reconstructive Surgery, Doheny Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA.
Objective:
To describe a technique for treating disfiguring thyroid-related orbitopathy by bony decompression into the temporal fossa and to analyze results.
Design:
Retrospective, noncomparative case series with description of a surgical technique.
Participants:
Thirty-three consecutive patients with disfiguring thyroid-related orbitopathy undergoing decompression into the temporal fossa with the described technique.
Intervention:
Reduction in exophthalmos by removal of the lateral orbital wall and the greater sphenoid wing using an eyelid crease approach.
Main Outcome Measures:
Amount of reduction in exophthalmos after surgery and incidence of induced postoperative diplopia.
Results:
The average reduction in exophthalmos was 4.51 mm (range, 3-6 mm; standard deviation, +/-0.95 mm). New-onset postoperative diplopia was observed in 1 patient.
Conclusions:
Bony decompression of the orbit into the temporal fossa via an eyelid crease approach is an effective treatment for disfigurement in patients with thyroid-related orbitopathy and no preoperative diplopia.
