AIM:To investigate the characteristics of color Doppler sonography and MRI in orbital solitary fibrous tumor(SFT).

METHODS: It was a retrospective case series study. A total of 12 cases of orbital solitary fibrous tumors were recruited from April 2013 to August 2018 in Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital. Color Doppler sonography and MRI plain scan and DCE-MRI were applied in all cases.

RESULTS: Of 12 cases, 7 cases were males and 5 were females, with the duration of symptoms ranged from 3mo-20y, with an average course of 3.2y; 6 cases were the primary cases and 6 cases were relapse cases. All lesions involved one side of the orbit, of which 8 cases were in the left orbit and 4 in the right. Of 12 cases, there were 5 tumors in intraconal space, 3 in the extraconal space, and 4 in intra and extraconal space. Well-circumscribed lesions showed oval shape in 9 cases and the left 3 were irregular. 12 cases showed hypoechoic and 2 cases heterogeneous signal on color Doppler sonography; All cases had flow signals on CDFI, and showed arterial spectrum on PW. On T1WI, all lesions demonstrated isointense. On T2WI, 5 lesions showed hypointense, 3 lesions showed isointense and 4 lesions slight hyperintense, of which 3 lesions showed heterogeneous signal. After contrast enhancement, all cases demonstrated markedly enhancement, with homogeneous enhancement in 10 cases and heterogeneous enhancement in 2 cases. The time-intensity curves(TIC)of 7 cases exhibited a rapid washout pattern, and 5 cases a rapid plateau pattern on DCE-MRI.

CONCLUSION: Color Doppler sonography features of orbital SFT include hypoechoic and flow signals. Heterogeneous signals on T2WI, marked enhancement, and a rapidly enhancing and slow washout pattern TIC on DCE-MRI are the typical MRI features of orbital SFT.