Recovery from orbital floor fractures: a prospective study of patients’ and doctors’ experiences

This study aimed at investigating the extent to which remaining symptoms and signs troubled patients in the year after suffering from zygomatico-orbital fractures, and whether there was any discrepancy between patients’ and doctors’ opinions as to the presence of symptoms and signs. Over the course of 1 year, 46 patients were included. Symptoms and clinical findings were registered in a ‘doctor's protocol’, and patients described self-reported symptoms and signs using a visual analogue scales (VAS) in a questionnaire administered 5 times during the year after injury. The VAS proved to be a useful instrument for evaluating patient discomfort and indicating differences between patients’ and doctors’ opinions regarding the presence of symptoms and signs. Agreement between the two was good regarding the presence of objective and measurable signs, such as facial asymmetry and diplopia. When it came to sensibility and mouth-opening ability, however, discrepancies were evident. It is desirable that reliable methods for measuring sensibility and evaluating mouth opening are included in follow-up routines. This would increase our knowledge of the course of healing, prognosis and possibilities for the prevention and active treatment of these problems.