Predictors of Intraoperative Difficulty and Postoperative Examination Abnormalities in 164 Orbital Operations

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Trauma Surgery
• Reconstructive Surgery

Background:

• Orbital fractures are common injuries.
• Predicting outcomes in orbital reconstructive surgery remains challenging.
• Identifying factors influencing surgical outcomes is crucial for patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify predictors of intraoperative difficulty, operating time, and postoperative abnormalities.
• To analyze factors influencing outcomes in post-traumatic orbital reconstructions.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 164 orbital operations on 155 patients.
• Examined predictor variables including plating style, surgical approach, time from injury, fracture size, position, and medial wall involvement.
• Utilized chi-squared and regression analyses with a significance level of P < .05.

Main Results:

• Medial wall involvement correlated with intraoperative difficulty (P = .01).
• Anterior fractures treated with a transantral approach increased intraoperative difficulty (P = .02).
• Plating style impacted operating time (P = .03), and the transorbital approach was linked to postoperative abnormalities (P = .01).

Conclusions:

• Medial wall involvement is a key predictor of intraoperative difficulty in orbital surgery.
• Transorbital approaches are recommended for anterior fractures, while transantral repair may be suitable for posterior fractures, potentially avoiding lower eyelid complications.