Blowout fracture
Encyclopedia
A blowout fracture is a fracture
of the walls or floor of the orbit
. Intraorbital material may be pushed out into one of the paranasal sinus
es. This is most commonly caused by blunt trauma of the head, generally personal altercations. Orbital floor fractures were investigated and described by MacKenzie in Paris in 1844 and the term blow out fracture was coined in 1957 by Smith & Regan, who were investigating injuries to the orbit and resultant inferior rectus entrapment, by placing a hurling ball on cadaver
ous orbits and striking it with a mallet. The force of a blow to the orbit is dissipated by a fracture of the surrounding bone, usually the orbital floor and/or the medial orbital wall. Serious consequences of such injury include diplopia
in upgaze where there is significant damage to the orbital floor.
Bone fracture
A bone fracture is a medical condition in which there is a break in the continuity of the bone...
of the walls or floor of the orbit
Orbit (anatomy)
In anatomy, the orbit is the cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated. "Orbit" can refer to the bony socket, or it can also be used to imply the contents...
. Intraorbital material may be pushed out into one of the paranasal sinus
Paranasal sinus
Paranasal sinuses are a group of four paired air-filled spaces that surround the nasal cavity , above and between the eyes , and behind the ethmoids...
es. This is most commonly caused by blunt trauma of the head, generally personal altercations. Orbital floor fractures were investigated and described by MacKenzie in Paris in 1844 and the term blow out fracture was coined in 1957 by Smith & Regan, who were investigating injuries to the orbit and resultant inferior rectus entrapment, by placing a hurling ball on cadaver
Cadaver
A cadaver is a dead human body.Cadaver may also refer to:* Cadaver tomb, tomb featuring an effigy in the form of a decomposing body* Cadaver , a video game* cadaver A command-line WebDAV client for Unix....
ous orbits and striking it with a mallet. The force of a blow to the orbit is dissipated by a fracture of the surrounding bone, usually the orbital floor and/or the medial orbital wall. Serious consequences of such injury include diplopia
Diplopia
Diplopia, commonly known as double vision, is the simultaneous perception of two images of a single object that may be displaced horizontally, vertically, or diagonally in relation to each other...
in upgaze where there is significant damage to the orbital floor.
Causes
Common medical causes of orbital fracture may include:- Direct orbital blunt injury
- Sports' injury (squash ball, tennis ball etc.)
- Motor vehicle accidents
Treatment
Surgery is indicated if- enophthalmos greater than 2mm
- diplopia on primary or inferior gaze
- entrapment of extraocular muscles
- fracture greater than 50% of the orbital floor