REVIEW article
Front. Ophthalmol.
Sec. Oculoplastics, Orbit and Trauma
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances and Challenges in Orbital Imaging: From Radiography to Modern MRI and 3D TechnologiesView all 3 articles
Imaging Features of Lacrimal Gland Disease
Provisionally accepted
- 1Discipline of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Uni of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
- 2Department of Ophthalmology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide, Australia
- 3Flinders University College of Medicine and Public Health, Adelaide, Australia
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Lacrimal gland masses represent a diverse group of pathological processes, including inflammatory, lymphoproliferative, and neoplastic lesions. They often present as a palpable mass in the superolateral orbit. There is significant overlap in clinical presentation, and imaging with ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging is essential for further characterisation. Key radiological features such as laterality, lobe involvement, lesion composition, margin definition, enhancement pattern, and associated bony changes can significantly narrow the differential diagnosis. This review will describe the radiological features of lacrimal gland masses to guide decision-making.
Keywords: Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma1, dacryoadenitis2, lacrimal gland mass3, lacrimal gland tumour5, lacrimal glandpathology4, pleomorphic adenoma6
Received: 14 Oct 2025; Accepted: 12 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Caltabiano, Rana, Buckby, Patel and Selva. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Carmelo Caltabiano
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