Long-term effects of orbital irradiation

This retrospective study is a review of 18 patients who received radiotherapy to the orbit between the ages of 1 month and 10 years. Patients were followed for 7-21 years in an attempt to define the effects of orbital irradiation on a growing child. None of the patients in the study was spared injurious effects on soft tissue or bone, but soft tissue appeared to be more vulnerable to radiation than bone. Orbital irradiation caused soft tissue deficits of the upper face in 100% of the patients. Sixty-seven percent of patients had soft tissue deformities of the midface, and 13% had soft tissue deformities of the lower face. Bony deficits were found in the upper face in 67% of the patients, the midface in 50%, and the lower face in 6%. This study found no correlation between age and time of radiotherapy on the effects of facial growth.