Review of Orbital Fractures in an Urban Level I Trauma Center.

OBJECTIVE

To perform a comprehensive review and analysis of surgically treated orbital fractures.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort chart review study for surgically treated orbital fractures during 5 years.

RESULTS

A total of 173 patients (average age 41.6 years) were diagnosed with orbital fractures. Most were male with a ratio of 3.3:1. Most fractures were caused by assault (39.3%); 22.5% of the cases were bilateral. The left orbit (40.5%) was fractured more than the right. The orbital floor (97.1%) was the most common anatomic location and the maxilla (65.3%) was the most commonly involved bone. The average time from trauma to surgical intervention was 8.7 ± 14.6 days and the average time from surgical intervention to discharge was 5.1 ± 9.0 days. The transconjunctival incision (63%) was the most commonly used incision, and nonresorbable implant (92.7%) was the most commonly used implant. Finally, the length of stay for the repair of a simple orbital fracture was less than for complex orbital fracture (1.5 days and 5.9 days, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Understanding the patterns and mechanisms of injury associated with orbital fractures can assist in developing standardized treatment protocols across all surgical specialties. This would ultimately allow for a uniform high quality of surgical care for patients with maxillofacial fractures.