Assessing the relationship between levator palpebrae superioris and thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy using the Dixon-T2WI sequence

Background The current clinical practice lacks sufficient objective indicators for evaluating thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). This study aims to quantitatively assess TAO by evaluating levator palpebrae superioris (LPS) using Dixon-T2WI. Methods The retrospective study included 231 eyes (119 patients) in the TAO group and 78 eyes (39 volunteers) in the normal group. Dixon-T2WI provided data on maximum thickness of LPS (LPS_T) and signal intensity ratio (LPS_SIR) between the muscle and ipsilateral brain white matter. TAO diagnosis and assessment of its activity and severity were quantitatively determined using LPS_T and LPS_SIR. Results In the TAO group, LPS_T and LPS_SIR were higher than those in the normal group ( p < 2.2e-16). The upper lid retraction (ULR) ≥ 2 mm group exhibited higher LPS_T and LPS_SIR compared to the ULR < 2 mm and normal groups. Optimal diagnostic performance was achieved with an AUC of 0.91 for LPS_T (cutoff: 1.505 mm) and 0.81 for LPS_SIR (cutoff: 1.170). LPS_T ( p = 2.8e-07) and LPS_SIR ( p = 3.9e-12) in the active phase were higher than in the inactive phase. LPS_T and LPS_SIR showed differences among the mild, moderate-to-severe, and sight-threatening groups ( p < 0.05). ROC showed an AUC of 0.70 for LPS_T (cutoff: 2.095 mm) in judging the active phase, and 0.78 for LPS_SIR (cutoff: 1.129). For judging the moderate-to-severe and above, AUC was 0.76 for LPS_T (cutoff: 2.095 mm) and 0.78 for LPS_SIR (cutoff: 1.197). Conclusion The maximum thickness and SIR of LPS provide imaging indicators for assisting in the diagnosis and quantitative evaluation of TAO.