MR Imaging of the Orbital Apex
J Korean Radiol Soc 2000;4 :26 9-0 6 1 6 MR Imaging of the Orbital Apex: An a to m y and Pat h o l o g y 1 Ho Kyu Lee, M.D., Chang Jin Kim, M.D.2, Hyosook Ahn, M.D.3, Ji Hoon Shin, M.D., Choong Gon Choi, M.D., Dae Chul Suh, M.D. The apex of the orbit is basically formed by the optic canal, the superior orbital fis- su r e , and their contents. Space-occupying lesions in this area can result in clinical d- eficits caused by compression of the optic nerve or extraocular muscles. Even vas c u l a r changes in the cavernous sinus can produce a direct mass effect and affect the orbit ap e x. When pathologic changes in this region is suspected, contrast-enhanced MR imaging with fat saturation is very useful. According to the anatomic regions from which the lesions arise, they can be classi- fied as belonging to one of five groups; lesions of the optic nerve-sheath complex, of the conal and intraconal spaces, of the extraconal space and bony orbit, of the cav- ernous sinus or diffuse. The characteristic MR findings of various orbital lesions will be described in this paper. Index words : Orbit, diseases Orbit, MR The apex of the orbit is a complex region which con- tains many nerves, vessels, soft tissues, and bony struc- Anatomy of the orbital apex tures such as the superior orbital fissure and the optic canal (1-3), and is likely to be involved in various dis- The orbital apex region consists of the optic nerve- eases (3).
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