Orbital development after enucleation in early childhood

Purpose: To identify growth retardation in the orbits of children who have undergone enucleation and orbital implantation. Methods: Children who underwent unilateral enucleation for retinoblastoma w ere examined. Any patient who had received external beam radiation or chemo therapy was excluded. Follow-up time was 5.5 to 10 years (mean, 8.33 years) . Several linear measurements were made on the enucleated orbit and the fel low orbit. These measurements were compared using the paired Student t test and multivariate analysis of variance. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in any of the me asured orbital dimensions between the enucleated and fellow orbits. Conclusions: Enucleation in children, when combined with a large orbital im plant, does not cause orbital growth retardation.