EMERGENCY THERAPY IN TRAUMATIC ORBITAL HE MATOMA WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

Midfacial injuries, surgery of the orbit or the paranasal sinuses as w ell as retrobulbar anesthesia can be the cause of a traumatic lacerati on of the ophthalmic artery and/or its branches prompting an extensive orbital hemorrhage with consecutive blindness. Since the neurosensory retina does not tolerate an ischemia of more than 1-3 hours, therapy has to be emergent: an extensive lateral horizontal canthotomy and ver tical cantholysis, and if the hypertony of the globe persists, splitti ng of the periorbita in the temporal lower lid region are mandatory. T he surgical details are presented.