Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 1997 Sep;13(3):189-94.

Exophthalmometry: a comparative study of the Naugle and Hertel instruments

Affiliations
  • PMID: 9306438
Clinical Trial

Exophthalmometry: a comparative study of the Naugle and Hertel instruments

H P Cole 3rd et al. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 1997 Sep.

Abstract

Exophthalmometry is frequently used as a tool in the evaluation of proptosis. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical usefulness of the newly developed Naugle superior and inferior orbital rim-based exophthalmometer with that of the Hertel exophthalmometer, as well as to obtain normal values and analysis of possible race and sex differences. In the first part of this study, we measured 135 patients in a double-blind study in order to evaluate the repeatability of serial measurements using each instrument. Comfort was also evaluated in this series of patients. In the second part, a single observer measured 205 patients in order to obtain information for a multifaceted analysis. In the first part of the study, we found the Hertel measurement to be more variable in terms of coefficients of variation. We further found the Hertel base measurements to vary more between observers than those of the Naugle instrument. In the second part, we found that the mean values of globe position were not statistically different (mean Naugle, 17.23; mean Hertel, 18.61; p = 0.909). A significant difference was noted between black and white patients when using the Naugle instrument. A difference between white and black women was noted with the Hertel instrument. The results of this analysis strongly suggest that the values obtained from the Naugle exophthalmometer are more repeatable in serial measurements compared with the Hertel values. However, single measurements of globe position from all patients were statistically similar. We conclude that the Naugle instrument is comparable in accuracy to the Hertel instrument for measuring ocular position, as well as being more comfortable for the patient. The Naugle instrument has the advantage of measuring hyperophthalmos and hypoophthalmos with a vertical gradient scale.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

  • Advantages of the Naugle instrument.
    Francis IC, Coroneo MT. Francis IC, et al. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 1999 Jul;15(4):299-301. doi: 10.1097/00002341-199907000-00012. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 1999. PMID: 10432527 No abstract available.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources