Transethmoidal decompression of the optic nerve in the case of craniocerebral trauma

Over a period of ten years, 39 patients who had suffered optic nerve compression after a craniocerebral trauma underwent transethmoidal decompression surgery. The operation was performed bilaterally on 5 patients. Fifty percent of patients involved suffered a blunt head or brain injury, the others brain compression or contusion. On the side of optic nerve compression, we found specific signs and symptoms of the compression such as negative or sluggish direct light reaction of the pupil, wounds on the lateral side of the eyebrow, bleeding from the nose, eyelid hematoma, skull fractures and intracranial hematomas. Since radiological and intraoperative findings were the same in only 67% of cases ophthalmological findings such as lack of direct pupil reaction occurring together with preserved consensual light reaction and progressive loss of vision after a traumatic incident are used as guideline for performing transethmoidal decompression of the optic nerve. Surgery produced restitution of visual function in about 10% more cases than conservative therapy reported in the literature.