Endoscopic drainage of subperiosteal orbital abscesses

Abstract

Medial subperiosteal orbital abscess is the most common suppurative complication of sinusitis. Small abscesses, especially in young children, may respond to therapy with intravenous antibiotics. Surgical drainage is indicated for large obscesses or for failure to respond to medical management. Traditionally, external ethmoidectomy approaches have been used to gain access to the medial orbital subperiosteal space. In our institution, an endoscopic ethmoidectomy approach has been used over the last decade, with advantages of avoidance of a facial scar and more rapid resolution of periorbital inflammation.