Role Of CT & MRI In Diagnosis Of Orbital & Occular Trauma

Ocular injuries are an important cause of visual impairment worldwide, with significant socioeconomic impact. Although there is increased interest in eye trauma and injury prevention, such injuries remain a significant cause of ocular morbidity. The identification of eye injuries is challenging in many cases of polytrauma patients. This is primarily due to the presence of life-threatening injuries which receive higher priority. Eye injuries, including ocular and orbital trauma, are considered secondary, so frequently receive attention only after the patient has been stabilized.CT remains the optimal imaging modality for revealing traumatic orbital injury in the emergency department as the imaging findings are correlated with ophthalmologic observations. Once a ferromagnetic foreign body has been ruled out, MRI may be indicated as an adjunct to CT to investigate soft tissues when the cause of persistent vision loss or oculomotor impairment remains unclear. MRI has been shown to be superior to CT for the depiction of intraorbital contents such as the globe, optic nerve and detection herniation of orbital contents thought bony defect. CT and MRI often provide complementary roles in orbital imaging. The choice of CT versus MRI for initial imaging of the orbits is depends on the clinical problem. CT is usually preferred in trauma patients to evaluate the bony orbits, and to exclude any contraindication to MRI. For other applications, MRI is generally preferred because of the absence of radiation risks and its high soft tissue contrast.