Strabismus in pediatric orbital wall fractures

Purpose: To assess the clinical profiles and outcomes of strabismus in pediatric patients with orbital wall fractures.

Methods: A retrospective interventional study of all consecutive children of age ≤16 years who presented with traumatic orbital wall fractures with and without resultant strabismus was conducted. The details of patient demographics, clinical features, interventions, and outcomes were obtained.

Results: Forty-three children presented with traumatic orbital fractures to a tertiary care center. The mean age at presentation was 11 years and there was a male predominance (72.09%). Isolated floor fracture involvement was the most common (n = 24, 55.81%), and almost half of the children had a white-eyed or trapdoor fracture (n = 21, 48.83%). Twenty-six (60.46%) children had surgical repair of fracture(s). Manifest strabismus following orbital fracture was documented in 12 children (27.90%). Of these, an exotropia was noted in seven (58.33%), hypotropia in two (16.67%), hypertropia in one (8.33%), and esotropia in one patient (8.33%), while an exotropia with hypotropia was noted in one patient (8.33%). Restrictive nature of strabismus due to either muscle entrapment or local trauma was more commonly observed in 11/12 patients (91.66%). Primary position diplopia before orbital wall fracture repair was observed in four children and after repair was observed in two children with manifest strabismus. Four children underwent strabismus surgery post-fracture repair.

Conclusion: An improvement in strabismus and ocular motility was noted in majority of the patients after fracture repair. The few that underwent strabismus surgery had a restrictive nature of strabismus. Trapdoor fractures and the nature of trauma in children vary compared to adults. Persistence of strabismus may be due to an excessive time interval between trauma and fracture repair or the extensive nature of trauma.