Abstract: | The cytologic features of 84 ophthalmic lesions were evaluated using the squash technique at the time of frozen section. Of the 84 lesions, 55 were located in the orbit, 17 in the lacrimal gland, and 12 in the ocular adnexa. Lymphoid lesions comprised most of the cases (n=47). In this group, 34 cases were malignant lymphomas and 13 were lymphoid hyperplasias. Inflammatory/granulomatous lesions and mesenchymal tumors comprised eight cases each. Epithelial neoplasms of the soft tissues of the orbit, lacrimal gland and eyelid constituted 12 cases, of which eight were malignant and four were benign. A total of nine cases were due to neurogenic tumors, neuroendocrine neoplasms, and melanocytic tumors. The squash technique provides a means to evaluate the architectural and cytologic details of ophthalmic lesions, without the intrinsic problem of frozen section artifact. We believe that the squash technique is a simple, quick, and useful method for the diagnosis of orbital/adnexal lesions. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc. |