Presentation
Injury to face after falling on the pavement. Swelling and numbness of left cheek.
Patient Data
Fracture of the left orbital floor, and partial opacification of the left maxillary sinus. The fracture disrupts the inferior orbital foramen.
Case Discussion
Inferior orbital fractures can be caused by direct facial trauma.
Facial fractures can be identified by tracing the McGrigor-Campbell lines, and Dolan lines.
Other secondary signs of facial fracture include opacification of adjacent air spaces, which may fill with blood if a wall of that air space is fractured.
Fracture of the orbital floor can disrupt the infraorbital foramen, and cause numbness in the distribution of the infraorbital nerve, causing the numbness of the cheek described by this patient.
These patients should be examined for diplopia as the inferior rectus muscle of the eye can be caught in the fracture (trapdoor fracture).
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