[Extraocular muscles involvement in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy].

AIM: To study morphological features of extraocular muscles in patients with endocrine myopathy taking into account the duration of the disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 16 patients with thyroid eye disease were included in the study. After a routine ophthalmic examination, they all underwent extraocular muscle surgery and orbital decompression. The biopsy material obtained at surgery was studied histopathologically. RESULTS: Particular morphological changes have been found in muscles of endocrine myopathy patients. Their relationship to disease duration has been also established. CONCLUSION: Considering endocrine-related morphological changes in extraocular muscles, the favorable period for surgical correction has been defined.