Orbital fractures in children: 10 years' experience from a tertiary centre

Our aim was to examine the relations between type and site of the fracture, age of the patient, and the management and outcomes, among children diagnosed with orbital fractures at the Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, during a 10-year period from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2012. The records of 41 children whose ages ranged from 8 months to 15 years were analysed. There was a male predominance (n=33). Two most common fractures were orbital floor and multiwalled fractures, with medial wall as the second most common site. The most common cause of injury was sport, more often with increasing age. In contrast, falls were more common among young children. Fractures of the orbital roof were more common among young children, all of ours being in children 10 years old or less. Lateral wall fractures were also more common among young children and declined in frequency with increasing age. In contrast, fractures of the orbital floor and medial wall can occur at any age, though those of the medial wall were more common among older children. As children grow their behaviour and activities change, and the mechanism by which they become injured also changes. Growth and development of the craniofacial skeleton lead to differences in the patterns of fractures with age. Fractures of the orbital roof and lateral wall are more common among young children, while those of the orbital floor and medial wall can occur at any age.