Exophthalmometric Values With Hertel Exophthalmometers in Children

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate the normal exophthalmometric values in children and facilitate the exophthalmic evaluation in pediatric patients with orbital disease. METHODS: We measured 516 eyes in 258 children aged 3 to 9 years without any orbital disease such as thyroid ophthamopathy, orbital pseudotumor and orbital wall fracture. We considered the association of age, sex, binocular variance, inter rim distance and axial length with the exophthalmometric values. Axial length was measured in only 120 eyes of60 patients who underwent operation for strabismus. RESULTS: The mean exophthalmometric values in the patients was 12.43+/-1.55 mm. The exophthalmos had a significant positive correlation with the age, axial length and inter rim distance. There were significant differences in exophthalmometric values by sex in children aged from 8 to 9 years but no significant difference by binocular variance. There were significant differences in the inter-rim distance related to sex. CONCLUSIONS: The exophthalmometric values in children had significant correlation with age, sex, axial length, and inter-rim distance. There was a significant increase of inter-rim distance in males compared to females. Knowing the mean exophthalmometric values in children would be useful with the exophthalmometric reference in pediatric patients with orbital disease.