Predictors and clinical outcomes of surgical intervention in pediatric orbital cellulitis.

Cohort studyCanadian journal of ophthalmology. Journal canadien d'ophtalmologie· Jul 2026

Predictors and clinical outcomes of surgical intervention in pediatric orbital cellulitis.

Naman Kundu, Terence Ang, Abdullah Almater … Dinesh Selva

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OculoplasticsCohort studyPrognosisQ2IF 1.3

Most children with orbital cellulitis needed surgery to drain the infection.

Predictors and clinical outcomes of surgical intervention in pediatric orbital cellulitis.

Naman Kundu … Dinesh Selva

Canadian journal of ophthalmology · Jul 2026 · Q2 in Ophthalmology

Purpose

To identify clinical and radiological features to better predict surgical intervention in pediatric orbital cellulitis (orbital cellulitis).

Methods

A retrospective study, including pediatric patients who had clinico-radiological evidence of bacterial orbital cellulitis.

n = 87 patients

59.8%

Results

59.8%

surgery was needed to drain the infection in most children

n = 87 patients

More results

Eighty-seven patients were diagnosed with orbital cellulitis between 2012 and 2024 (mean age 8.66 ± 4.34 years; range: 0.04-17 years).

In surgical cases, greater periosteal elevation of 6.0 ± 3.2 mm and anterior-posterior (anterior-posterior) abscess length of 22.5 ± 8.1 mm was observed (p = .047 and p = .013, respectively).

More results

Mean time to surgery was 23.6 ± 20.7 hours (range: 1.6-92.7 hours), with 67.3% occurring within 24 hours.

Surgical cases had longer hospital stays (7.82 vs 4.74 days; p < .001).

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Conclusion · 1 of 3

Proptosis, impaired ocular motility, and radiological evidence of abscess were found to be associated with surgical intervention in pediatric orbital cellulitis.

Conclusion · 2 of 3

Additionally, patients with a subperiosteal abscesses surgery were more likely to have greater periosteal elevation and anterior-posterior abscess length.

Conclusion · 3 of 3

Surgical intervention was found to be higher in this cohort than that documented in other literature.

Predictors and clinical outcomes of surgical intervention in pediatric orbital cellulitis.

Predictors and clinical outcomes of surgical intervention in pediatric orbital cellulitis.

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