ORBITAL COMPLICATIONS OF PEDIATRIC SINUSITIS - TREATMENT OF PERIORBITAL ABSCESS

Twenty-six children requiring surgical intervention for orbital compli cations of acute sinusitis were treated at our institutions between 19 85 and 1995. Twenty patients were successfully treated surgically util izing endoscopic/microscopic endonasal surgery, or traditional externa l ethmoidectomy. However, six patients failed to respond to initial su rgical attempts and ultimately required a revision. In one of these si x patients the development of an intracranial abscess also necessitate d a craniotomy for surgical drainage. Analysis of these six failures w as performed with special attention given to the reasons for initial s urgical failure and possible means for preventing revision surgeries.