Intact Removal of Orbital Lobe Tumors of the Lacrimal Gland, With or Without Lateral Wall Osteotomy.

Purpose: To examine the necessity for lateral osteotomy for intact removal of tumors within the orbital lobe of the lacrimal gland.

Methods: Patients who, between 1992 and 2020, were scheduled for intact excision of well-defined masses within the orbital lobe of the lacrimal gland were identified from an orbital database. A retrospective review of the clinical records was performed and details of the tumor size obtained from histopathological reports. The first patients in the series had lateral osteotomy, whereas later, there was a shift toward osteotomy-free tumor excision through a skin-crease incision. The latter approach required isolation of the gland's orbital lobe on an intact sheet of periosteum, an anterior "flip" of the mass (out of the orbit, past the orbital rim) "hinged" at the isthmus between the orbital and palpebral lobes, and finally a division of the isthmus to release the intact mass.

Results: Clinical details were available for 100 patients (50 male), with 56 tumors removed using lateral osteotomy and 44 without. The mean age at surgery was 50.3 years with osteotomy (median, 51.8; range, 19-85 years) and 51.1 years without (median, 50.3; range, 11-81 years; P = 0.81). There were no postoperative complications in either group. Although the range of tumor volumes was similar in the two groups (1.6-15.0 ml with osteotomy; 0.9-15.1 ml without), the average volume was somewhat greater in those having osteotomy (mean, 6.4 ml) as compared with those without (mean, 4.6 ml; P = 0.0016). Inadvertent rupture of the tumor occurred once in each group, with tumors of similar small size.

Conclusions: In many cases, large masses within the orbital lobe of the lacrimal gland can be safely removed intact, using the described flip technique without the need for lateral wall osteotomy.