A 24-year-old man is admitted to the hospital after a street fight. Radiographic examination reveals an inferior (blow-out) fracture of the orbit. Orbital structures would most likely be found inferiorly in which of the following spaces?
The maxillary sinus is located inferior to the orbit. Any trauma to the inferior bony wall of the orbit will likely displace the orbital structures in the compartment to the space below the orbit (maxillary sinus). The ethmoid sinus is located superiorly and medially to the orbit, whereas the frontal sinus is located superiorly to the orbit. The nasal cavity is toward the midline and is not inferior to the orbit. The sphenoid sinus is deeper into the facial region but is not inferior to the orbit.
Ethmoidal sinus
Frontal sinus
Maxillary sinus
Nasal cavity
Head & Neck