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Romanian Neurosurgery (2012) XIX 1 

 
 
 

A retrospective and anatomopathological study of 40 orbital 
tumors 

Daja   Stiljan1, N.   Ianovici2 

1PhD Student in Neurosurgery, “Gr.T. Popa” UMPh, Iasi 
2Neurosurgery, “N. Oblu” Clinical Emergency Hospital, Iasi 

 

Abstract 
In casuistry of the neurosurgery clinic in 

Iasi I recorded 40 observations of orbital 
tumors over a period of 20 years. The 
anatomopathological analysis of our 
observations has shown us a great variety of 
intraorbital processes occurring especially in 
small children with optic nerve glioma 
which lead to malignant tumors with age.  

Keywords: orbital tumor, optic nerve 
glioma. 

 
The information from the 

anatomopathological study revealed that 
optic nerve gliomas are age specific for 
children. Our study comprised 8 cases of 
gliomas in children (61.5%). This type of 
tumor is specific to children aged 12 – 
approximately 75% – proportionally more 
common in young children.  Our statistics 
revealed 6 cases in children under 10 years 
old and 2 cases in children over 10 years old 
– 11 and 14 years respectively. 

 
TABLE I 

The anatomopathological types of 40 
observations 

Anatomopathological type Number
Optic nerve glioma 6 
Optic chiasm glioma  4 
Meningioma 1 
Reticulosarcoma 2 
Fibrosarcoma 2 

Lacrimal gland, mixed tumor  1 
Neurinoma  2 
Epidermoid cyst 2 
Angiofibroneuroma, AV angioma  3 
Multiforme sarcoma  4 
Melanoma 3 
Intraorbital bone neoformations  4 
Other intraorbital tumors  3 

 
TABLE II 

The anatomopathological types of 13 
observations of tumors in children out of 

the 40 observations 
Anatomopathological type Number

Meningioma 1 
Optic chiasm glioma 3 
Optic nerve glioma  5 
Angiofibroneuroma 1 
Reticulosarcoma 1 
Retinoblastoma 1 
Fibrosarcoma 1 

Discussion and conclusion 
The diagnosis of an optic nerve glioma 

should lead to a search for the stigmata of 
von Recklinghausen’s neurofibromatosis, 
since this type of tumor is frequently 
associated with optic nerve glioma. In our 
study I found a case of optic nerve glioma 
associated with von Recklinghausen 
neurofibroma.  

Meningioma is rare in children. There 
was only one case of optic nerve 
meningioma which occurred in a 13-year 



 
 
 
 Daja   Stiljan, N.   Ianovici          Study of 40 orbital tumors 

 
 
 

old girl.  
In the study of 13 cases of orbital 

tumors, reticulosarcoma occurred only in 
one child. The evolution of children with 
this type of tumor is totally different from 
the evolution of adults.  

The anatomopathological and clinical 
study of 13 orbital tumors in children gave 
the following age group distribution:  

0 – 2 years old, 3 cases 
2 – 5 years old, 4 cases 
5 – 10 years old, 3 cases  
10 – 16 years old, 3 cases  
As it can be seen from our statistics and 

according to Ingalls’ own statistic, the first 
decade of life gave the highest number of 
orbital tumors.  

In the study of 40 cases, in 24 cases the 
most common location is intraorbitary, in 6 

cases the optic nerve, in 4 cases the optic 
chiasm, in 5 cases retrobular, and in 1 case 
the lacrimal gland.  

As a conclusion, the 
anatomopathological analysis of our 
observations has shown us a great variety of 
intraorbital processes occurring especially in 
small children with optic nerve glioma 
which lead to malignant tumors with age. 

References 
1. Castillo, BV Jr. andKaufman, L. ”Pediatric Tumors of 
theEyeand Orbit” - Pediatric Clinics of North America, 
50(1): 149-172, 2003; 
2. Cernea Paul -  ”Treaty of Ophthalmology”, Ed. 
Medicala, Bucuresti 1997; 
3. Onisim Ligia – Ph.D. Thesis, UMF Bucuresti 2006; 
4. Szabo Ioan, Szabo Bianca – ”Neurosurgical Approach 
of the Primary Intraorbital Tumors”, Ed. Dacia, Cluj 
Napoca 2004