Prosthetic Rehabilitaion of an Exenterated Defect with a Magnet Retained, Customised Stock Eye Two-piece Hollow Orbital Prosthesis: A Case Report

Abstract

Loss of the eye results in a functional impairment, disfigurement of the face and long-term psychological effects on the patient. Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was accompanied by an increase in the number of patients reporting with mucormycosis. The treatment often involves widespread excision of the involved area, leading to gross facial deformity. Rehabilitation of the orbital defect is a complex task and requires a thorough treatment planning. It has always been challenging for a prosthodontist to create an orbital prosthesis for an exenterated defect brought on by post-COVID mucormycosis because it is difficult to meet the patient’s expectations. It is a time-consuming process requiring multiple appointments with every appointment being an important one. The advent of Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD-CAM) technology has made the fabrication simple, but not all have access to the required infrastructure. The conventional and economical silicone prosthesis still is a popular choice among clinicians. A 52-year-old male patient reported to the Department of Prosthodontics for an artificial substitute of his missing left eye, which was exenterated in the surgical treatment of mucormycosis. The present case report describes the fabrication of a two-piece magnet retained hollow orbital prosthesis with a “customised stock eye”. The prosthesis is designed in such way that, it utilises the natural undercut in the defect and a magnet between the conformer and the prosthesis. This yields in better maintenance and limiting the contact of silicon with the body fluids, thereby, enhancing the long-term use.