Orbital Aerocele: Case Report

Objective We present a 26-year-old man with an orbital aerocele following roof and medial orbital wall fracture due to facial trauma for gunshot wound, managed with open surgery with orbital reconstruction.

Fig. 1

Methods A case report and a review of the world literature concerning the etiology, clinical features, and management of orbital fractures are presented.

Results Our patient presented with a delayed posttraumatic orbital aerocele related to facial trauma by gunshot wound 4 years ago, and exacerbated by air travel and nose blowing. CT scan revealed a fracture of the ethmoid bone, deformed orbital roof, and orbital aerocele causing proptosis and stretching of the ophthalmic nerve and extraocular muscles. Management with a fronto-orbital approach, with reconstruction of the roof and medial orbital wall produced excellent results, with decompression achieved and immediate and sustained improvement in visual acuity and ocular movements.

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Conclusion A search of the world literature revealed no documented cases of orbital aerocele as a delayed complication of roof and medial orbital wall fractures due to gunshot wound. Also, we take in consideration the open surgery with orbital reconstruction and its advantages over other procedures.