The place of conservative treatment in sinogenic orbital complications has not been fully explained in the literature. The question that remains unresolved is – at which stage of the disease is surgery indicated?

A study was undertaken in 240 patients with sinogenic orbital complications, to determine this. The patients were divided into three groups according to the stage of the disease as determined clinically: Group 1 (52 patients) with early stage disease, as detected by cellulitis only; Group 2 (76 patients) with intermediate stage, as detected by periorbital cellulitis and proptosis, but with full range of eye movement and unaltered vision: Group 3 (122 patients) with late stage disease, as detected by periorbital cellulitis and gross proptosis. with limitation of eye movement and altered vision.

Group I and Group 2 patients were treated conservatively, with intravenous antibiotics and antral lavage. Group 3 patients were treated with intravenous antibiotics and surgery. External frontoethmoidectomy was performed in 31 (bilateral in two), ethmoidectomy in 91 (bilateral in five), sphenoidectomy in 15 and bilateral antral washout in all (122 patients). There was 100 per cent success with conservative treatment in Group 1 patients, whilst in Group 2 there was 98.6 per cent failure. The 75 patients in whom conservative treatment failed were successfully treated with surgery: frontoethmoidectomy was performed in 66 and ethmoidectomy in nine. In Group 3 patients, 100 per cent success was achieved with intravenous antibiotics and surgery.

Sinogenic orbital complications can be treated conservatively and surgically, depending on the stage of the disease on presentation. Conservative treatment is only suitable for early complications, i.e. patients with periorbital cellulitis only. For disease beyond this stage i.e. intermediate and late stage disease, surgery is the treatment of choice.