A case of blowout fracture of the orbital floor in early childhood

Abstract

There are few reports of blowout fractures of the orbital floor in children younger than 5 years of age; in a search of the literature, we found only six reported cases which revealed the exact age, correct diagnosis, and treatment. We herein report the case of a 3-year-old boy with a blowout fracture of the orbital floor. Computed tomography showed a pure blowout fracture of the left orbital floor with a slight dislocation of the orbital contents. The patient was treated conservatively due to the absence of abnormal limitation of eye movement or enophthalmos. The patient did not develop any complications that necessitated later surgical intervention. Computed tomography at 6 months after the injury showed the regeneration of the orbital floor in the area of the fracture and no abnormalities in the left maxillary sinus. We herein present our case and the details of six other cases reported in the literature, and discuss their etiology, diagnosis, and treatment methods.

Keywords: blowout fracture; orbital fracture; pediatric blowout fracture.

Figure 1

Computed tomography of a boy of 3 years and 3 months of age showing a pure blowout fracture of the left orbital floor with a slight dislocation of orbital contents. Note: There was no abnormality in his ocular movement.

Figure 2

Computed tomography 6 months after the injury shows the regeneration of the left orbital floor and no abnormalities in the left maxillary sinus.