Venous malformations in the orbit.

The purpose of this paper is to present the clinical, radiological, and pathological findings in twelve patients presenting with orbital varices and to draw attention to the syndrome of congenital venous malformation in the orbit: a condition which may be associated with venous malformations elsewhere in the body.With the introduction of modern radio- logical methods of contrast investigation, particularly orbital venography, a more detailed demonstration of these lesions in the orbit and their vascular connections is now possible. Case materialNine patients seen in the X ray Department at the City Road Branch of Moorfields during the period of I966-I970 have been shown to have venous malformation in the orbit, either by radiology or at surgical exploration.All these were investigated by angiography-either by carotid angio- graphy, or by orbital venography, or both.Three other cases seen before this period and described by Lloyd (I965) have been added to the series; they did not have angiographic studies but are included because of their clinical and radiological similarity to the other nine cases.The clinical, radiological, and pathological details are set out in the Table (overleaf), and may be summarized as follows: