Superolateral subperiosteal orbital abscess complicating sinusitis in a child

Orbital complications of sinusitis in children generally occur as a consequ ence of ethmoid sinusitis due to preferential spread across the lamina papy racea. A case is presented of a subperiosteal abscess (SPA) in the superola teral orbital wall complicating frontal sinusitis in a 6-year-old female. C ongenital bony dehiscences exist in the lateral floor of the frontal sinus, which may allow direct spread of infection through to that region. While t he general principles of managing orbital complications of sinusitis are ap plicable, the surgical approach for a SPA complicating frontal sinusitis di ffers from that of the typical medial SPA, and the clinician should be mind ful of this variation when planning surgical treatment. (C) 1999 Elsevier S cience Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.