Craniofacial approach for orbital tumors and ultrasonic bone cutting

Background: Removal of orbital tumors is a difficult problem. The goal of this study was to evaluate the advantages of the craniofacial approach to remove such tumors and to evaluate ultrasonic bone cutting during the procedure.

Methods: The authors reviewed their experience with 57 tumors of the posterior cavity using lateral craniofacial and frontal transsinus approaches. Orbital osteotomies were performed with mechanical instruments or piezoelectric bone surgery as a minimally invasive surgery. For each case, the quality of bone cutting and soft tissue damage were evaluated.

Results: Craniofacial approaches are simple and fast. Under the microscope, they provide a good view of the entire posterior orbital cavity. Using Piezosurgery, the functional results are good with no soft tissue damage. These advantages balance with the increased operative time required by ultrasonic bone cutting.

Conclusions: This study shows the advantages of craniofacial approaches for removal of posterior orbital tumor. Moreover, the present preliminary report introduces and demonstrates the utility of piezoelectric bone surgery in craniofacial approaches for orbital tumors.