title: Orbital compartment syndrome following aneurysm surgery.
abstract: Orbital compartment syndrome (OCS) is a rare cause of blindness following intracranial surgery. We report a patient with OCS following intracranial cerebrovascular surgery precipitated by severe straining. OCS occurred due to a rapid increase in intraorbital pressure within the rigid confines of the orbit causing hypoperfusion of critical neural structures, which resulted in visual loss and a complete external ophthalmoplegia. Treatment involved urgent surgical soft tissue decompression of the orbit, corticosteroids and osmotic agents. It is important to consider OCS as a cause of blindness in the neurosurgical postoperative setting as without rapid treatment this condition has a very poor prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Grattan Street, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia. andrew.gauden@mh.org.au
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Gauden
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.forename: Heather G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.forename: Helen V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Danesh-Meyer
authors.forename: Andrew H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Kaye
mesh_terms: D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology; D003161:Compartment Syndromes / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology*; D003399:Craniotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004596:Electroretinography; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009915:Orbit; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014794:Visual Fields