Lateral orbital wall fracture as a mechanism of blow-out fracture in a patient with extensive pneumatization of the sphenoid bone.

We report a patient with a lateral orbital wall fracture that occurred as a result of a blow-out fracture. The patient has extensive pneumatization of the sphenoid sinus, and the air extends into the lateral orbital wall. It makes the lateral orbital wall much thinner unusually, being more vulnerable to a sudden increase in intraorbital pressure. Pure blow-out fracture of the lateral orbital wall has not been reported in the medical literature. Therefore, this is the first case report of a lateral orbital wall fracture occurring as a blow-out mechanism.