Medial orbital wall fractures: classification and clinical profile

This article reports our experience and proposes a clinical classification regarding medial orbital wall fractures. After a retrospective analysis of 2741 patients with facial fractures, we were able to evaluate 273 patients with 304 medial orbital wall fractures. The male-to-female ratio was 5:1, and most injuries involved the left orbit. Most fractures were caused by personal altercations, but more complex injuries were noted with automobile accidents and falls. Fractures were divided into types based on location and severity of injury: type I (confined to the medial orbital wall), type II (medial orbital wall continuous with floor), type III (medial orbital wall with floor-malar fractures), and type IV (medial orbital wall and complex midfacial injuries). Although visual loss (2%), diplopia (41%), and enophthalmos (12%) were seen, diplopia and enophthalmos were commonly observed with type II injuries. Imaging studies showed that about 52% of the fractures were associated with prolapse of orbital fat, but only 43% could be diagnosed with plain x rays. Type I fractures were generally explored through a frontoethmoid incision; other types were treated with subciliary or transconjunctival approaches. The usual treatment consisted of repositioning the fragments and repair of the wall with polyethylene mesh or cranial bone graft. Type I and type II fractures seemed best explained by the hydraulic mechanism of injury, whereas the type III and type IV fractures best fitted the buckling theory.