Summary
Orbital emphysema: radiologic and ophthalmologic findings
Solanas-Álava S, Rodríguez-Marco NA, Artigas-Martín JM, Fernández-Larripa S
Affiliation of the authors
Servicio de Radiodiagnóstico, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, Spain. Servicio de Oftalmología Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, Spain.
DOI
Quote
Solanas-Álava S, Rodríguez-Marco NA, Artigas-Martín JM, Fernández-Larripa S. Orbital emphysema: radiologic and ophthalmologic findings. Emergencias. 2017;29:122-5
Summary
Orbital emphysema, or the presence of air in orbital tissues, is normally associated with an injury although it can arise when a Valsalva maneuver causes an increase in upper airway pressure. This potential complication of an orbital wall fracture, usually in the ethmoid bone, occurs in 50% of such cases. On fracture, air passes from the nasal fossa, sinuses,
or subcutaneous tissue. The condition is benign and transient in most cases, and loss of vision is rare. No protocol for treating orbital emphysema with serious complications in which vision is affected has been established. We report 9 cases of orbital emphysema, describing events leading to the fractures, radiologic findings, and treatments.