Unilateral Orbital Floor Fractures

Abstract

Ninety patients operated on, on suspicion of unilateral orbital floor fractures are described. Age, sex, and etiology are given. Operative indication is examined and related to the operative findings. Fifty-six of the patients had fractures requiring transplantation, 24 had fractures which did not. Ten patients had no fractures. Only autogenous bone graft was used. The patients were examined three months and one to 11 years postoperatively (questionnaire). Of 82 operated patients who answered the questionnaire diplopia was found in eight, enophthal-mos in two, hypesthesia in 18, reduced mobility in four and sinuitis in four. Preoperative X-ray: Three patients showed false positive X-ray findings. In 19 patients with false negative X-ray findings 12 required transplantation. Twenty-five tomographed patients showed fractures, two of which proved to be false positives. In eight patients with negative tomographical findings, fractures were found, seven of which required transplantation. The frequency of complications assessed in relation to the time of operation shows no significant difference, if surgery takes place within seven days of injury. Surgery performed later than this seems to produce more cases of chronic sinuitis.