The following is a summary of “Magnetic resonance imaging parameters on lacrimal gland in thyroid eye disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” published in the August 2023 issue of Ophthalmology by Wong et al.

Researchers performed a retrospective study, revealing thyroid eye disease as a manifestation of Graves’ disease, linked to dry eye disease.

They analyzed 504 studies from PubMed and Cochrane Library (August 23, 2022). After applying selection criteria and removing duplicates, nine relevant studies were selected, and a bias assessment was conducted. Meta-analyses utilized a random-effect model when significant heterogeneity was present; otherwise, a fixed-effect model was employed. The focus was on ten MRI parameters, exploring structural and functional aspects.

The results showed thyroid eye disease exhibited a larger maximum axial area, maximum coronal area, maximum axial length, maximum axial width, maximum coronal width, diffusion tensor imaging-apparent diffusion coefficient/mean diffusivity, and lower diffusion tensor imaging-fractional anisotropy than controls. Active thyroid eye disease showed more significant lacrimal gland herniation, maximum coronal area, and diffusion-weighted imaging-apparent diffusion coefficient than inactive disease. Lacrimal gland dimensions and functional parameters were valuable for diagnosing thyroid eye disease, while lacrimal gland herniation, maximum coronal area, and diffusion-weighted imaging-apparent diffusion coefficient helped differentiate active from inactive disease. Diffusion tensor imaging parameters and lacrimal gland herniation were useful for grading and predicting therapeutic responses.

They concluded lacrimal gland parameters, effective indicators for thyroid eye disease detection, and future studies needed.

Source: bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12886-023-03008-x