Comparison of cutaneous incisions to approach the infraorbital rim and orbital floor

Aim: The aim of this article was to retrospectively analyze and compare the esthetic outcomes achieved after the use of 20 subciliary incisions, 22 subtarsal incisions and 16 infraorbital incisions to approach the infraorbital rim and orbital floor in orbital fractures.
Methods: The sample consisted of 58 patients (37 males and 21 females) with orbital trauma (floor and infraorbital rim) treated with open reduction and internal rigid fixation in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at "Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal", Brazil, between September 1996 and August 2003. The following aspects were evaluated: (1) the average distance of the scars measured from the ciliary margin caudally, (2) the esthetic appearance of the scars, (3) chronic lid edema, (4) scleral show, (5) ectropion.
Results: Subciliary incision demonstrated better surgical results when compared to the non-subciliary incisions. No statistically significant difference in chronic lid edema rates was found between the three groups of incisions (Fisher, p>0.217 in all cases). There was no statistically significant difference in ectropion, scleral show and chronic edema rates between the three groups of incisions.
Conclusions: The subciliary and subtarsal incisions offer better esthetic results than the infraorbital incision,