Background: Trauma is the 2nd cause of mortality in Iran, after cardiovascular diseases. In traumatic patients, head and neck and face skeletal fracture is common. The most common facial fracture is mandible fracture and the least common is frontal fracture. Complications due to orbital fracture are more devasting than the other fractures in face.
Methods: These descriptive cross sectional studies are designed on 92 patients with orbital fractures in a referral educational trauma center, Imam Khomeini hospital, Tehran, Iran. Sample size was the patients who referred to this hospital with orbital fracture during the ten years period (1986-2000).
Results: In this study 74 patients were male and 18 patients were female. Mean age of patients was 30 years. The most common cause of orbital fracture was motor vehicle accident which was seen in 38 patients.46 patients had fracture in left orbit and 44 patients in right. Isolated orbital fracture was seen in 38 patients and 54 patients had concomitant trauma and fracture in the other organs. Management of orbital fracture was reduction of displaced bone fragment and fixation for osteosynthesis. The most common methods for osteosynthesis was fixation with miniplate which used in 53 patients and then reconstruction of orbital floor and roof with autologus bone graft. The most common complications due to orbital fracture was related to eyes that were seen in 20 patients.
Conclusion: Face fractures are a piece of all problems in multiple trauma patients as the tip of iceberg. Concomitant injuries are the concealed part of this iceberg. Early detection of orbital fracture and immediate treatment that prevent the future complications and deformities due to orbital fractures.