title: Orbital compartment syndrome during endoscopic drainage of subperiosteal orbital abscess.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Orbital compartment syndrome is a rare ocular emergency requiring immediate intervention to prevent vision loss. It can arise due to a variety of causes including trauma, neoplasms and retrobulbar hemorrhage during endoscopic sinus surgery. Lateral canthotomy and inferior cantholysis is a well-known therapeutic procedure to rapidly relieve raised intraocular pressures.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report a case of a subperiosteal orbital abscess due to acute maxillary sinusitis that underwent endoscopic drainage. Intraoperatively, he developed raised intraocular pressure following irrigation of the maxillary sinus and manual pressure on the malar abscess, necessitating emergent lateral canthotomy and inferior cantholysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of orbital compartment syndrome following sinonasal irrigation and malar pressure in the English literature. This case will serve as a reminder to the sinus surgeon of the potential danger of transmitted pressure from the paranasal sinus or malar soft tissue into the orbital compartment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Changi General Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: See
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Changi General Hospital, Singapore. Electronic address: engcern@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Eng Cern
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Gan
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D003161:Compartment Syndromes / Q000209:etiology*; D004322:Drainage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D004724:Endoscopy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015523:Maxillary Sinusitis / Q000150:complications; D008875:Middle Aged; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D009916:Orbital Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*