Orbital fracture, which accounts for 10-25% of facial fractures, is one of the most difficult facial fractures to treat. The complex bone anatomy and the proximity of adjacent vital structures make reconstruction of these fractures challenging. Inadequate orbital fracture reconstruction leads to cosmetic and functional complications. Cosmetic complications include enophthalmos, which is defined as posterior displacement of the eyeball within the orbit due to changes in the volume of the orbit (bone) relative to its contents (the eyeball and orbital fat). Functional complications include diplopia, defined as a type of vision disorder in which two images are seen of a single object.~This is a prospective randomized clinical study with longitudinal follow-up. The study duration is 2 years, and it will be conducted at Grady Memorial Hospital (GMH). The study targets low-income, urban adults suffering blunt facial trauma who are diagnosed with unilateral orbital fracture.~The purpose of this study is to compare pre-adapted patient-specific orbital implants utilizing an office-based 3-D printer versus standard non-adapted orbital implants. Main aims of the study are to 1) preoperatively generate a patient-specific model to pre-adapt the titanium mesh for use in unilateral orbital fractures; 2) accurately restore the orbital volume to pre-injury levels; 3) prevent postoperative complications including enophthalmos and diplopia; and 4) decrease the operative time, therefore decreasing overall cost and increasing value.
The study is a prospective randomized longitudinal clinical study to compare pre-adapted patient-specific orbital implants utilizing an office-based 3-D printer versus standard non-adapted orbital implants (the latter being the traditional approach and current standard of care).