New Extraocular Muscle Entrapment after Facial Fracture Repair

Abstract

Extraocular muscle entrapment is a well-recognized complication of orbital fracture, wherein the inferior rectus muscle becomes lodged within the fracture fragments at the time of the initial trauma. New onset entrapment cannot occur without new force applied to the orbit, displacing the fragments and the inferior rectus. Theoretically, in complex orbital fractures, manipulation of disjunct fragments may apply pressure to the orbital contents and induce new entrapment in an otherwise non-operative orbital floor fracture. Here we present the only described case of new extraocular muscle entrapment after open reduction and fixation of a supraorbital rim and frontal sinus fractures and emphasize the need for careful assessment after repair of such a fracture to ensure that new entrapment has not occurred.