[Orbital tumours in children and adolescents. Differential diagnostics and clinical symptoms]

The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the incidence of and surgical strategies used for treating orbital tumours in children and adolescents.

A retrospective chart review was carried out for 22 patients between the ages of 2 weeks and 18 years who were treated in the years 1997-2007 for suspected space-occupying orbital lesions. The specific investigation methods, therapy, and treatment results were described.

The most frequent orbital lesions in the children in this study were mesenchymal tumours; the second most common were dermoids. Nineteen patients were surgically treated. Three children with malignant tumours underwent radiochemotherapy after surgery, and two died in the first year after diagnosis. Two other children with benign tumours suffered recurrence of their disease.

The variety of orbital diseases in paediatric patients includes benign and malignant tumours as well as nonneoplastic lesions. The treatment of orbital disease is a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for the attending physician.