Orbital emphysema: a potentially blinding complication following orbital fractures.
A case of visual loss due to orbital emphysema secondary to a blow-out fracture of the orbit is presented. Because vision returned to 20/20 following an optic nerve decompression procedure, we hypothesize that our patient developed a compressive optic neuropathy with ischemia due to the emphysema. Essential instructions concerning the injury that the emergency physician should give the patient suffering an orbital blow-out are also presented.
Jordan
D R
DR
Department of Opthalmology, University of Utah, School of Medicine, Salt Lake City.
White
G L
GL
Anderson
R L
RL
Thiese
S M
SM
D000293:Adolescent; D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology*; D004646:Emphysema / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D009900:Optic Nerve; D009917:Orbital Fractures / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000150:complications*