Ultrasound diagnosis of orbital schwannomas

Macroscopic appearance of the schwannomas is often found by echography (5 on 11 cases: 45% of the patients). As a correlate, we can assume that confronted with an extraconal and/or dumb-bell lesion with cystic spaces, the first diagnosis to think of is that of orbital schwannoma. Differentiation with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor is impossible. Cystic spaces within the lesion are as well detected as by CT or MRI. New B-mode equipment with high energetic, high resolution good gray scale probes proved to be very helpful, giving as much information as Standardised A-mode.