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Orbital and Periorbital Cellulitis

The acute onset of eyelid redness and swelling in a child usually results in a quick visit to the doctor's office or an emergency room. The differential diagnosis for these signs ranges from relatively innocuous problems, such as allergy or an insect sting, to potentially vision-affecting or even life-threatening diseases, such as orbital cellulitis or cavernous vein thrombosis. The orbital contents often are protected from an inflammatory process by the orbital septum, a continuation of the periosteum of the bony orbit to the margins of both the upper and lower eyelids (Figure 1). An inflammatory process occurring in the structures superficial to the orbital septum is defined as preseptal or periorbital cellulitis; an inflammatory process in structures deep to the orbital septum is defined as orbital cellulitis of a specific complication thereof. Bacterial infection can cause both periorbital and orbital cellulitis.

Another anatomic feature of importance is that the skin of the eyelid is the thinnest skin of the body. The subcutaneous tissue of the eyelid is composed of musculofibrous tissue and no fat. This combination of thin skin and loose subcutaneous tissues makes it possible for the eyelid to swell dramatically as it fills with edematous fluid.

Epidemiology and Pathogenesis of Periorbital Cellulitis

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				E. R. Wald Periorbital and Orbital Infections Pediatr. Rev., September 1, 2004; 25(9): 312 - 320. [Full Text] [PDF]