Quality of Life after Orbital Exenteration

Objective: Orbital exenteration (OE) is an infrequently performed operation involving the surgical excision of the globe, extraocoular muscles, and orbital fat. The most common indication within the United Kingdom is for the surgical management of locally advanced sinonasal malignancy. For patients with intraorbital tumor it may offer the greatest chance of cure. However, it is a disfiguring operation, and the loss of an orbit is understandably difficult for a patient to contemplate. Nevertheless, modern prosthetics provides innovative ocular rehabilitation. There is little objective data on the quality of life (QoL) in this patient group and we therefore conducted a study to examine QoL measures. Methods: A retrospective review of internal operative and prosthetic databases between 1996 and 2013 identified patients who had undergone OE. Identified patients were sent the University of Washington QoL questionnaire (UW-QoL), this assesses specifically the current patient health and QoL within the past 7 days. Results: We were able to contact 25 living patients who had undergone OE. The mean age of this group was 55 years, with a male to female ratio of 15:7. The most common indication was T4N0 sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma. Our study details the QoL in these patients. Conclusion: Orbital exenteration may offer the greatest chance of cure in a select population. Although, the cosmetic rehabilitation is long, modern prosthetics can provide good psychological outcomes in these patients.