Orbital surgery – a two year audit of practice in a craniofacial centre

Abstract

Background : The surgical techniques and materials used in orbital reconstructive surgery vary widely. The choice of method and material for a given case often depend on the preferences and experience of the surgeon. Periodic audit of practice is desirable to evaluate the successes and failure in a center and to compare experiences with other centers. Objective : This study was undertaken to review the indications, surgical approaches, methods and materials used for orbital reconstruction/recontouring and the incidence and type of complications of the surgery at our centre. Materials and method : The clinic database was explored to retrieve the records of patients who had orbital surgery between May 1, 2005 and April 30, 2007. The required information were retrieved and tabulated to review the current indications, techniques and outcome of orbital surgery at the center. Result : There were 11 patients involved in the audit including 9 males and 2 females within the age range of 10-60 years, mean age of 25.6 + SD 13.1 years. Trauma was the most frequent indication for surgery, the coronal and transconjunctiva approach to the orbits were favoured and cranial bone graft and Goretex were the preferred materials for reconstruction. Ocular and non ocular postoperative complications were observed. Many of the patients involved had delayed primary or secondary intervention in which case the quality of treatment outcome was affected and further operations were required to correct residual symptoms and complications Conclusion : Although, there are many complex techniques and esoteric materials being employed worldwide, the approach in this center is a simplistic one with preference for autogeneous calvarial bone graft and use of Gore-Tex where alloplastic material was considered adequate. These principles have been adopted with considerable success.