Thyroid ophthalmopathy is one of the features of auto-immune thyroid diseases. Exophtalmos is not the only sign of this affection and may even be absent in severe sight-threatening cases. All subjects with this ophtalmopathy should benefit from euthyroidism restoration, smoking withdrawal and local measures. Objective and repeated assessment should identify the mild and stable disease carrying a fair prognosis and therefore recognize without delay the other patients for whom an optimal management will be supported by a multidisciplinary and expert team. The treatment of choice for moderate-to-severe and active ophthalmopathy is intravenous glucocorticoids. Sight-threatening cases not rapidly alleviated by intravenous glucocorticoids warrant surgical decompression. Later on, surgery (orbital decompression, squint surgery, eyelid surgery, in this order) will eventually be needed for inactive disease.
Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.