What causes oil droplet appearance in the eye on CT?
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Oil droplet appearance on CT indicates intraocular fat layering in the anterior chamber and is most commonly seen after globe trauma or intraocular surgery.
Answer:
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Round, hyperdense fat droplets layering dependently in the anterior chamber represent intraocular fat following trauma or surgery, where orbital fat herniates into the globe through a ruptured capsule, layering anteriorly due to its higher density relative to aqueous humor.
Why is it called so?
Named for the characteristic appearance of small, round, hyperdense droplets resembling oil droplets suspended and layering in fluid on CT.
Pathophysiology
Trauma or surgery disrupts the integrity of the ocular capsule, allowing orbital fat to prolapse into the anterior chamber; the fat, being hyperdense (approximately 130 HU similar to related intraocular lipids), settles dependently in the anterior position due to gravity on supine CT imaging, forming discrete rounded globules.
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