[Results of nuclear magnetic resonance tomography studies in endocrine orbitopathy]

Magnetic resonance imaging (T1- and T2-weighted) was performed in 65 patients with Graves' disease. In addition, T2 relaxation times of each ocular muscle were measured. Of the muscles thus studied, 54.8% showed a thickening in coronary tomograms. An interaction between the optic nerve and the thickened ocular muscles at the apex of the orbit was suspected in 30.1%. It could not be confirmed that the thickening of the muscles and the T2 value were related. However, there was a high correlation between the rise in intraocular pressure and the T2 relaxation time. These results imply that the T2 relaxation time is extremely useful in interpreting the activity of Graves' disease and provide a diagnostic tool of prognostic value in monitoring and treating this disease.