Treatment of enophthalmos.

This article has focused on the prevention and treatment of enophthalmos. It has stressed that enophthalmos is both a common complication of orbital fracture and a complication that can be difficult to treat. The cause of these failures of primary and secondary treatment is failure to recognize that orbital fractures have two distinct patterns and that neither is secondary to the anterior orbital floor defect. The zygoma fracture is the more common fracture and the most frequent cause of late enophthalmos. When this bone fractures, it does so at its sutural attachments. It is essential to reposition it at a minimum of three locations to achieve correction in three dimensions. The key to adequate reduction is not only to identify the frontozygomatic and zygomaticomaxillary suture at the infraorbital rim, but also to examine the zygomaticomaxillary suture in the region of the anterior maxillary buttress. Frequently, reduction at the first two sutural areas still leaves persistent lateral rotation of the zygoma and marked intraorbital volumetric expansion behind the axis of the globe. Complete reduction at three points will prevent late enophthalmos. Reosteotomy with repositioning of the zygoma and bone grafting to restore proper orbital volume can correct secondary enophthalmos once it develops. True blow-out fractures do occur, but the cause of the enophthalmos is most commonly the concomitant medial wall fracture and the occasional posterior expansion. The key to treatment is proper diagnosis, which is dependent upon CT scanning. Following definition of the exact fracture spots, restoration of intraorbital volume and sealing of the defects are satisfactory to avoid enophthalmos.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)