Orbital cellulitis: a review of 21 cases from Ibadan, Nigeria

This study was set up to review cases of orbital cellulitis admitted to the eye ward of our hospital between 1994 and 1998, and to compare the findings with similar studies. Twenty-one (14 males, 7 females, age range 45 days to 50 years [mean 13 years]) of 35 patients with an initial diagnosis of orbital cellulitis were reviewed (14 patients were excluded from the final analysis). Most of the cases were associated with pansinusitis, the commonest organism isolated being Staphylococcus aureus. All the patients were co-managed with ortorhinolaryngologists, and sometimes also with bacteriologists and paediatricians. Seventy-five per cent of the patients made a full recovery. Complications included orbital abscess (28.6%), optic atrophy (10%), cornea opacities (10%) and seizures (5%). Orbital cellulitis remains a childhood infection with potentially devastating consequences. There appears to have been a reduction not only in the number of cases admitted to the eye ward but also in the number and severity of complications. Prompt treatment and a multidisciplinary approach to management may be partly responsible for the improved outcome. This approach therefore needs to be encouraged.