title: Management of orbital cellulitis and subperiosteal orbital abscess in pediatric patients: A ten-year review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pediatric periorbital cellulitis represents a common disease complicating a nasal infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  A ten-year retrospective review of fifty-seven children admitted to our institution with the diagnosis of periorbital cellulitis as a complication of sinus infections was carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The age varied from one month to eleven years (mean 3.9 years). Thirty-five were males (62%), while twenty-two were females (38%). Nine out of fifty-seven (15.8%) presented exophthalmos associated with eyelid erythema and edema, while the rest suffered mainly from eyelid erythema and edema. Twenty-two patients complaining of exophthalmos or not responding to medical therapy within 48 h were assessed with a computed tomography scan (38.6%). A subperiosteal orbital abscess was detected in nine cases and these patients underwent surgical drainage (15,8%). Recurrence of orbital infection occurred in three cases (5.3%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medical management is the main treatment for both preseptal and postseptal orbital cellulitis. Nevertheless, there is no universally accepted guideline for the treatment of subperiosteal abscesses and each case should be treated accordingly. Urgent surgical drainage should be considered in cases not responding to adequate medical management, or those cases presenting visual deterioration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: sciarrettavittorio@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sciarretta
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: mrc.dematte@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demattè
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: paolo.farneti5@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Farneti
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: mrt.fornaciari@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fornaciari
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: ilaria.corsini@aosp.bo.it.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Corsini
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: o1piccin@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Ottavio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Piccin
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: domsaggese@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saggese
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: ignafernandez@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Ignacio Javier
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Fernandez
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D054517:Orbital Cellulitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000150:complications*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Orbital abscess; Orbital cellulitis; Postseptal cellulitis; Preseptal cellulitis; Sinusitis; Subperiosteal abscess