EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY OF BENIGN-TUMORS AND INFLAMMATIONS OF THE EYE ANDITS ADNEXA

Purpose Benign tumors and the inflammations of the eye and its adnexa are about twice as frequent as malignant tumours. Because of the aesth etic value or functional importance and the diagnostic difficulties th at they can induce, we thought it interesting to conduct an epidemiolo gical study including the localization and the different histological formes of benign tumors and inflammations of the eye. Material and met hods This study was carried out for a period of 70 years between 1925 and 1995, utilizing case histories I and results of the histological e xaminations of the Pathology Department of the Centre Hospitalier Nati onal d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts in Paris. The statistics includ ed the histological diagnostic, the localization and the civil data. R esults Benign tumors and inflammations of the eye and its adnexa corre sponded respectively to 25.9% and 7.1% of the histological results acc omplished in the laboratory. Papilloma (31.4%) and cysts (28.2%) were the most frequent benign tumors. Chalazions represent the most frequen t aetiology of inflammation (49%), followed by granuloma (30%). Our re sults are compared to those of other laboratories. Conclusion While ma lignant tumors account for the majority of endo-ocular tumors, benign tumors and inflammatory processes are almost always extra-ocular invol ving the conjunctiva and the eye lids (in particular the inferior eye lid). Papilloma and cysts together account for about 50% of the benign tumors and inflammations of the eye.