Traumatic prolapse of the globe into the anterior cranial fossa: a case report

BACKGROUND: Orbital fracture associated with traumatic intracranial prolapse of the eyeball is rare. In all previously reported cases, vision was severely impaired with no light perception. Herein, we report a case of traumatic prolapse of the globe into the anterior cranial fossa, in which the patient’s vision was preserved by early repositioning. CASE PRESENTATION: The present case report focused on a man hit by a steel pipe, leading to prolapse of the globe of the right eye into the anterior cranial fossa through fractures in the superior orbit roof, accompanied by cerebral contusion. The eyeball was immediately repositioned into the orbital cavity, along which the wound tract was debrided and the skull base was repaired. The patient underwent a follow-up period of 12 months, during which the visual acuity increased to 12/20 without any intracranial infections. However, the patient’s ptosis persisted and was associated with complete loss of supraduction. CONCLUSIONS: In this case, early diagnosis and proper globe repositioning with reconstruction of the orbital roof could allow recovery of vision, as well as prevention of intracranial infection.