Orbital infections and their complications: A review in images

Abstract

Infection remains the most common cause of non-traumatic acute orbital pathology and a relatively common reason for requesting radiological examinations in the emergency department. Infection can affect any part of the orbit but postseptal involvement most frequently justifies imaging requests, due to its potential severity and associated complications. The differential diagnosis of acute orbital pathology is broad and includes not only infectious entities but also inflammatory and neoplastic conditions. It is important to know how to recognise these entities in order to establish early treatment and avoid serious complications. This article reviews, through case images, orbital pathologies of infectious origin, their potential complications and their differential diagnosis.

Keywords: Accident and emergency department; Computed tomography; Infecciones; Infections; Magnetic resonance imaging; Orbit; Resonancia magnética; Tomografía computarizada; Urgencias; Órbita.