Watanabe Tetsuo, Kawano Toshiaki, Kodama Satoru, Suzuki Masashi
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Oita University Faculty of Medicine, 1-1 Idaigaoka, Hasama-machi, Yufu City, Oita 879-5593, Japan.
Ear Nose Throat J. 2012 Jan;91(1):24-5. doi: 10.1177/014556131209100108.
The occurrence of an orbital blowout fracture caused by nose blowing is an unusual phenomenon. We report a rare case of such a fracture in the bony floor of the orbit of a 30-year-old man. Immediately after strong nose blowing, he experienced left eyelid edema and diplopia. Computed tomography confirmed the presence of a blowout fracture of the inferior wall of the left orbit. His symptoms abated without any surgical treatment. In addition to the facts of this case, we discuss the findings of physiologic studies and human cadaver studies in the context of nose blowing as an etiologic factor in orbital blowout fracture.
