title: Bilateral orbital subperiosteal hemorrhage following labor.
abstract: A 27-year-old woman presented with 13 days of bilateral periorbital swelling, discomfort, and visual loss, which developed immediately after labor. She had significant blood loss requiring blood transfusion. There was bilateral proptosis, left optic neuropathy, and a superior visual hemifield defect in the left eye. MRI of the orbits showed bilateral superior subperiosteal hematomas. She underwent bilateral orbitotomy and drainage of subperiosteal hematomas. Six months later, complete resolution of proptosis with normal ocular motility and visual acuity was observed; however, there was persistence of a left relative afferent pupillary defect with superior visual field loss. This case report highlights the need for a high index of diagnostic suspicion of subperiosteal hematoma arising in a nontraumatic setting, such as in the peripartum period, and consideration for emergent surgical management of optic neuropathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: Johnson C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Errol W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Looi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005094:Exophthalmos / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006406:Hematoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications; D058725:Peripartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D011859:Radiography; D019315:Retrobulbar Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D014794:Visual Fields