Application of Quantitative MRI in Thyroid Eye Disease: Imaging Techniques and Clinical Practices

Thyroid eye disease (TED) is a complex autoimmune disorder that impairs various orbital structures, leading to cosmetic damage and vision loss. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a fundamental diagnostic tool utilized in clinical settings of TED, for its accurate demonstration of orbital lesions and indication of disease conditions. The application of quantitative MRI has brought a new prospect to the management and research of TED, offering more detailed information on morphological and functional changes in the orbit. Therefore, many researchers concentrated on the implementation of different quantitative MRI techniques on TED for the exploration of clinical practices. Despite the abundance of studies utilizing quantitative MRI in TED, there remain considerable barriers and disputes on the best exploitation of this tool. This could possibly be attributed to the complexity of TED and the fast development of MRI techniques. It is necessary that clinical and radiological aspects of quantitative MRI in TED be better integrated into comprehensive insights. Hence, this review traces back 30 years of publications regarding quantitative MRI utilized in TED and elucidates this promising application in the facets of imaging techniques and clinical practices. We believe that a deeper understanding of the application of quantitative MRI in TED will enhance the efficacy of the multidisciplinary management of TED. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 3.