[Development of postoperative motility in orbital floor, zygomatic and mid-face fractures]

A prospective study of was made on 100 patients with fractures of the orbital floor, the zygoma and/or midface who were surgically treated and investigated (before and 3 days, 7 days, 1 month and 6 months after surgery) with regard to their eye motility (Hess screen) and their double vision (Harms tangent screen). Stable results were obtained at least 30 days after surgery. Patients in whom early surgery was performed (within 7 days after trauma) showed better results (82% improvement) compared with those operated on in the second week after the trauma (50% improvement) or later (27% improvement). Young patients (less than 10 years of age) and patients with midface fractures (LeFort II and III) showed significantly poorer results with regard to eye motility.