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Updated: Apr 8, 2026
Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Orbital Fractures
Published on: May 16, 2025
Orbital fractures in children: 10 years' experience from a tertiary centre
Peranada Sirichai1, Peter J Anderson2
1Adelaide Dental School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia.
Insights
Orbital fractures in children vary by age, with younger children experiencing roof and lateral wall breaks, while older children and any age group can sustain floor and medial wall fractures. Injury mechanisms also shift with age, from falls in young children to sports in older ones.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Orthopedics
- Ophthalmology
- Trauma Surgery
Background:
- Orbital fractures are significant injuries in children.
- Understanding age-related patterns is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the relationship between fracture type, site, patient age, and outcomes in pediatric orbital fractures.
- To identify age-specific injury mechanisms and fracture patterns.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 41 pediatric orbital fracture cases.
- Data collected over a 10-year period (2003-2012) at a children's hospital.
- Inclusion criteria: patients aged 8 months to 15 years.
Main Results:
- Male predominance observed (33/41 patients).
- Most common fractures: orbital floor and multi-walled; medial wall was the second most common site.
- Sports injuries predominated in older children, while falls were more common in younger children.
- Orbital roof and lateral wall fractures were more frequent in younger children (≤10 years).
- Orbital floor and medial wall fractures occurred across all ages, with medial wall fractures more common in older children.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric orbital fracture patterns are influenced by age-related changes in behavior, activities, and craniofacial development.
- Younger children are more susceptible to orbital roof and lateral wall fractures, whereas orbital floor and medial wall fractures can occur at any age.
- Distinct injury mechanisms (falls vs. sports) correlate with age and fracture site.
Abstract:
Our aim was to examine the relations between type and site of the fracture, age of the patient, and the management and outcomes, among children diagnosed with orbital fractures at the Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, during a 10-year period from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2012. The records of 41 children whose ages ranged from 8 months to 15 years were analysed. There was a male predominance (n=33). Two most common fractures were orbital floor and multiwalled fractures, with medial wall as the second most common site. The most common cause of injury was sport, more often with increasing age. In contrast, falls were more common among young children. Fractures of the orbital roof were more common among young children, all of ours being in children 10 years old or less. Lateral wall fractures were also more common among young children and declined in frequency with increasing age. In contrast, fractures of the orbital floor and medial wall can occur at any age, though those of the medial wall were more common among older children. As children grow their behaviour and activities change, and the mechanism by which they become injured also changes. Growth and development of the craniofacial skeleton lead to differences in the patterns of fractures with age. Fractures of the orbital roof and lateral wall are more common among young children, while those of the orbital floor and medial wall can occur at any age.
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