White-eyed blowout fracture: Another look

Authors: Mehanna, Patrick; Mehanna, Daniel¹; Cronin, Andrew²

Source: Emergency Medicine Australasia, Volume 21, Number 3, June 2009 , pp. 229-232(4)

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Abstract:

Orbital floor fractures have the potential to cause significant morbidity both in the short and long terms and commonly present to the ED for initial assessment. Although treatment of the majority of these injuries involves clinic review and possible later surgery, there is a specific subset that present to emergency clinically suggestive of a head injury. This subset, `white-eyed blowout', usually occurring under 18 years of age, with a history of trauma and little sign of soft tissue injury, describes a trap door orbital floor fracture with herniation and acute entrapment of orbital muscle and is regarded as a maxillofacial emergency. The injury presents with marked nausea, vomiting, headache and irritability suggestive of a head injury that commonly distracts from the true aetiology. It requires prompt diagnosis and treatment to avoid permanent morbidity. We present three cases and discuss their management.

Keywords: adolescent orbital floor fracture; orbital trauma; trap door fracture; white-eyed blowout

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-6723.2009.01186.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Surgery, Caboolture Hospital, Caboolture, Queensland, Australia 2: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, Wales, UK; and

Publication date: 2009-06-01