Epidemiological and Diagnostic Aspects of Childhood Proptosis in Lome (Togo) from 2010 to 2020

Background: Although proptosis is rare, it is nevertheless the main sign of orbital disease. Its discovery usually indicates a serious eye disease especially in children. Objective: To determine epidemiological and diagnostic aspects of childhood proptosis in Lome (Togo). Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study conducted from June 2010 to May 2020, which is 10 years, in the ophthalmology department of CHU-campus of Lome. Files of patients between the age of 0 and 15 who presented a proptosis during the study period were taken into account in the study. Patients with a false proptosis or incomplete records during the study period were not taken into account in the study. Results: The study considered 42 children with an age average of 7.63 years ± 4.96 [4 days; 15 years] and a sex-ratio of 1.33. The frequency of proptosis was 0.5% with an average progression of 383.7 days before the first consultation. The proptosis was unilateral in 80.95% of cases. The orbito-cerebral CT scan was done in 47.62% of cases. The proptosis in these patients was predominantly of grade 3 in 45% of cases. The tumor pathologies were at the forefront in 35.71%, dominated by retinoblastoma, and followed by infectious and inflammatory diseases in 14.29%. Conclusion: Childhood proptosis is rare and often indicative of infectious and tumor pathologies in our context. Its diagnosis is delayed, which shows the importance of an early and effective diagnosis.