Inferior Blow-Out Fracture Reduction Using Two Urinary Balloon Catheters

BACKGROUND: The reduction of orbital blowout fracture primarily aims to normalize the extra-ocular movement by returning the herniated orbital soft tissue into the original position, and to prevent enophthalmos by normalizing the orbital cavity volume. We introduce a balloon catheter-assisted orbital floor reduction technique. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed for all patients with orbital floor fracture who underwent the technique described in the main body of this text. Medical records were reviewed for demographic data, clinical presentation and course, degree of enophthalmos, intraorbital volume on computed tomography scan, and postoperative outcomes. The enophthalmos and intraorbital volume of the injured site were compared to the uninjured eye and orbit. RESULTS: The review identified 14 patients (11 male, 3 female). The mean preoperative difference in en-exopthalmos was 2.13 mm, while the mean orbital volume was 116%. The mean postoperative difference in en-exophthalmos had improved to 0.61 mm with a mean orbital volume of 101.85%. At the time of catheter removal at 10 days, three patients experienced diplopia (n=1), extra-ocular movement disorder (1), or enophthalmos (1). All of these had resolved by the 6-month follow-up visit. CONCLUSION: Balloon catheter-assisted reduction of the orbital floor fractures was associated with improvements in intraorbital volume and enopthalmos in the 14 patients. Notable complications included diplopia, enophthalmos, and limited extra-ocular movement, all of which were transient in the early postoperative period and had resolved by 6-month follow up.