The British journal of oral & maxillofacial surgery
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Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Mar 2010
Isolated posterior orbital floor fractures, diplopia and oculocardiac reflexes: a 10-year review.
Isolated fractures of the posterior orbital floor are rarely encountered in facial trauma, but warrant appropriate management to afford optimum recovery from debilitating diplopia and symptoms of activation of the oculocardiac reflex. We reviewed all records of patients with isolated fractures of the orbital floor between 1997 and 2007. Seven of 58 fractures operated on during this time involved the posterior orbit alone (all male, age range: 10-23). ⋯ Diplopia will improve postoperatively, but will persist over months, and patients should be well informed of this. Interestingly none of our patients' injuries were the result of assault, even though this accounted for nearly 75% of all facial fractures treated in our department. Five of the seven patients were adults, and the mechanism of fracture pointed to being crushed by injuries of low velocity and high force.