Intraorbital corticosteroids show efficacy for treating idiopathic orbital inflammation

With proper patient selection, injecting corticosteroids intraorbitally may be effective as a first-line treatment for idiopathic orbital inflammation, according to a prospective study by researchers in Israel and Australia.

Igal Leibovitch, MD, and colleagues evaluated the local and systemic complications after intraorbitally injecting 20 mg/mL to 40 mg/mL of triamcinolone acetonide in 10 patients with confirmed idiopathic orbital inflammation and an anterior orbital mass.

Investigators repeated the injections every 4 weeks if patients did not achieve complete resolution.

The researchers reported finding an anterior orbital mass in four patients and dacryoadenitis in six patients.

At 9.8 months mean follow-up, substantial improvement was noted in one patient and complete resolution was noted in eight patients, according to the study, published in the December issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.