Ophthalmic outcomes of fractured zygomas

In patients with fractures of the zygomatic complex, computed tomography (CT) often identifies extensive defects in the orbital floor. Some surgeons recommend routine exploration and repair of these defects during repair of the zygoma, while others advocate a more selective approach, but there is a paucity of evidence either way. We report a retrospective case series of 50 patients who had open reduction and internal fixation of zygomatic fractures by a single surgeon in the maxillofacial department at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, between 2011and 2014. The orbit was repaired only in those with severe diplopia, or restriction or malpositioning of the globe. Patients were evaluated by age, sex, aetiology, preoperative findings including diplopia and ocular malpositioning, fracture pattern, and morbidity. A total of 14 had preoperative ophthalmic signs. In five these were minimal so treatment was conservative. Nine (eight with diplopia and one with a malpositioned globe) had exploration and seven of them had the orbit repaired at the same time as the zygoma. This was not possible in the remaining two because of the complexity of the defect. There were no postoperative ophthalmic signs in the 41 who did not have orbit explored, or in the seven who had it repaired, and residual signs resolved after planned secondary reconstruction in the remaining two. We recommend that the orbit is explored only in patients with severe diplopia, or restriction or malpositioning of the globe.