Morphologic comparison of preformed orbital meshes.

PURPOSE: Preformed orbital titanium meshes have been introduced to improve outcomes in the treatment of orbital wall fractures. This study evaluated the geometry of different commercially available orbital meshes and compared them with an average human orbit.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Seven commercially available preformed orbital meshes were scanned using an optical scanner. For comparison, an average orbit was generated from 113 computed tomographic scans of unaffected orbits. Meshes and the average orbit were compared by registration and the calculation of congruence.

RESULTS

All meshes showed a high similarity within a ±1.5-mm deviation corridor. Major differences were seen in the slope between the orbital floor and the medial wall and in the upturning toward the lateral orbital rim.

CONCLUSION

Preformed orbital meshes conform highly to an average orbit, but differ in size and geometry. Using special software, the best fitting mesh could be chosen preoperatively to improve surgical outcome if its geometry were published.