Dovilė Karaliūtė¹

¹ Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Academy of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kaunas, Lithuania

Abstract

Background. The purpose of the review is to elucidate the etiology, symptoms and applied diagnostic and treatment methods of ocullar cellulitis described in the literature.

Methods. It is a systematic literature review. Articles were selected from electronic database PubMed (Medline) with keywords „orbital cellulitis“, „orbital cellulitis management“.

Results. Ocular cellulitis is an urgent condition that requires a multidisciplinary team, targeted diagnostic methods and aggressive treatment. This condition manifests as redness of the eyelids, edema, erythema, severe pain, proptosis, limited eye movements, impaired vision, and general signs of inflammation. Symptoms can worsen, progress and lead to complications like blindness or even life-threatening, if left untreated. According to the literature, ocular cellulitis is most commonly caused by untreated or complicated sinusitis and is most common in children. The gold standard of diagnosis is computed tomography (CT), which is combined with the clinical symptoms and signs. Treatment is given immediately with antibiotics empirically until further action and interventions are decided.

Conclusions. Ocular cellulitis can cause dangerous complications, therefore urgent action is needed to stabilize the patient‘s condition. To prevent this disease, timely diagnosis and treatment of the underlying causes, such as sinusitis, is essential.

Keywords: orbit, inflammation, cellulitis, orbital septum, post – septal cellulitis.