Using orbital sonography to diagnose and monitor treatment of acute swelling of the eyelids in pediatric patients

OBJECTIVE. Clinical signs of acute erythematous swelling of the periorbital region may be related either to benign superficial inflammation or to the more severe and potentially life-threatening condition of orbital infection. CONCLUSION. We recommend orbital sonography in every child with periorbital swelling and erythema. In contrast to superficial infection in which edematous swelling of the eyelid can be documented without lesions of the orbital content, either a hyper- or a hypo-echoic mass displacing the medial rectus muscle laterally is highly suggestive of orbital infection. Introducing sonography into early diagnostic interventions in pediatric patients avoids delaying appropriate treatment and allows disease monitoring on a daily basis.