Radiological evaluation of orbital tumours in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Tissue diagnosis of orbital tumours is especially difficult because of the wide range of tissues normally occurring in the orbit [2]. Unfortunately, such tumours are relatively surgically inaccessible for biopsy due to the presence of the bony walls of the orbit and its peculiar shape. This gives rise to a need for effective methods of indirect assessment of the orbit and its contents prior to definitive therapy. Such indirect assessment may be achieved using certain modalities of radiological imaging. These include conventional plain X-ray films, ultrasound scan (USS) and computerized axial tomography (CAT scan), orbital venography and magnetic resonance imaging. This paper is a pilot study of current practices in the use of radiological imaging techniques in the diagnosis of orbital tumours at a University Hospital.