Orbital Blowout Fractures: a Retrospective Study with Literature Review

Abstract

Blowout fractures of the orbit are relatively common injuries of the viscerocranium. However, there is still no general consensus on the optimal timing and method of treatment. This article gives a comprehensive review of the pathology of the fracture, process of diagnosis, management and follow-up, including results of a retrospective study done in the Department of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Dubrava University Hospital, Zagreb, in which we collected and analyzed medical records of 91 patients treated for blowout fractures in our institution over a period of three years. Our study showed that the patients admitted to our department more than 48 hours from the injury were more than 4 times likely to develop a complication that would require additional treatment. In other words, of our 91 patients, those admitted to our department in the first 48 hours from the injury had a more than 4 times lower rate of complications, likely due to early recognition of the injury with early intravenous antibiotic and corticosteroid administration, multidisciplinary treatment, and early recognition of candidates for emergency and early surgical treatment. The results of our study show the importance of treating blowout fractures in a tertiary care facility with expertise on the subject.

Keywords

• Orbit
• Blowout fracture
• Trauma, maxillofacial