The clinical course of diplopia associated with zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures before and after surgery

Abstract

ObjectiveDiplopia is a common complaint following zygomaticomaxillary complex (ZMC) fractures. The present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of post-traumatic as well as port-operative diplopia, and the improvement of diplopia over time before and after surgery. MethodsA retrospective case series of diplopia associated with ZMC fractures was conducted to address the research purpose. Only subjects with isolated unilateral ZMC fractures were included. Demographic variables included age and gender of the patients. The primary outcome variable of this study was the presence of diplopia during different periods before and after surgery. Descriptive statistics were conducted for all variables studied. Analytical statistics were performed to measure the significance of change in the outcome variable during different stages of treatment. ResultsIn total, 231 patients were included, with a mean age of 23.78 (±5.11) years. Post-traumatic diplopia was diagnosed in 59% of patients. Only 13% of cases had pre-operative diplopia. Post-surgical diplopia was reported in 37% of cases. Post-operative follow-up diplopia showed a significant improvement over time with only 1 patient having residual diplopia 6 months after surgery. ConclusionsTraumatic diplopia in unilateral ZMC fractures is common. However, a significant resolution of diplopia over time should be expected. Residual diplopia is an unlikely outcome.