Comparison of the Fractured and Non-Fractured Orbit Before and After Surgery Using a Titanium Implant or a Resorbable Poly-d,l-lactic Acid (PDLLA) Implant: A Study from a Single Center in Niš, Serbia of 58 Patients with Unilateral Orbital Floor Fracture Using Volumetric Measurement

BACKGROUND: A fracture of the orbital floor can lead to complications such as enophthalmos, impaired eye motility, or diplopia, which is why it is necessary to reconstruct the bony walls of the orbit. This study from a single center in Niš, Serbia, included 58 patients with unilateral orbital floor fracture and aimed to use volumetric measurement to compare the fractured and non-fractured orbit before and after surgery using a titanium implant or a resorbable poly-d, l-lactic acid (PDLLA) implant. MATERIAL/METHODS: From 2018 to 2022, a total of 58 patients with unilateral orbital floor fractures were treated at the Clinic of Dental Medicine, Niš. Computed tomography examination was used for volumetric measurement of the fractured and non-fractured (contralateral) orbit before and after the surgical procedure. A titanium implant was used in 31 patients, and a PDLLA implant was used in 27 patients. RESULTS: Orbital volume ratio did not differ statistically significantly in relation to the type of implant (P=0.591). The postoperative volume did not differ statistically significantly from the volume of the contralateral side (titanium, P=0.212; PDLLA, P=0.232). There was a significant correlation between orbital volume and enophthalmos both before and after surgery (P=0.012, P=0.018, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Measuring the preoperative volume of the injured orbit is sufficient data for an indication because reconstruction depends primarily on the correlation between the volume and enophthalmos. The findings from this study showed that preoperative orbital volumetry using computed tomography evaluated enophthalmos and provide data to assist orbital floor reconstruction.