Successful medical management of orbital abscess in a patient with sickle cell anemia

The authors describe a patient with sickle cell anemia who had an orbital abscess at the site of a bone infarct during hospitalization for a painful crisis. Because the patient was in close medical observation, the orbital abscess was diagnosed within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. The patient was treated with a 2-week course of intravenous antibiotics. This resulted in complete resolution of the abscess, as evidenced by clinical improvement and findings on computerized axial tomography scanning. The authors conclude that a heightened suspicion of orbital abscess in sickle cell patients with ocular symptoms will allow the diagnosis of an orbital abscess that can then be cured with antibiotic treatment but without orbital surgery.