Blowout fracture

Fifteen patients (10 males and 5 female) in whom blowout fracture was diagnosed by CT were divided into the group with surgery (9) and the group without it (6), and CT findings were compared between the groups. CT showed fracture in the inferior wall of orbital region in all patients. Prolapse of the orbital contents from the fractured area was seen as tongue-shaped contents on coronal CT images in 5 of the group with surgery and in 3 of the group without it. Coronal CT also showed musculi bulbi included in the contents in 8 of the group with surgery, but failed to show it in any of the patients without it. These results suggest that CT findings are useful in deciding surgical indication. (Namekawa, K.)