2012 Volume 24 Issue 3 Pages 97-100
Treatment strategy for traumatic optic nerve injury (TON) is observation, administration of corticosteroids, surgical optic canal decompression or combination of them. However, in the literatures, there is no treatment of TON that can be surely expected to improve visual acuity. So the management of TON has remained controversial. We report a case of TON in which visual acuity improved following optic canal decompression. The patient was a 38-year-old man who suffered a severe hit on the right side of his face when he was playing football. He had impaired visual acuity of the right eye. Radiography demonstrated contusional hematoma and pneumocephalus in the right frontal lobe, depressed fracture of the right temporal bone and fractures of right orbital walls. In order to prevent intracranial infection, repair of the dura with optic canal decompression was carried out 26 hours after injury. His visual acuity improved remarkably, although diplopia and lower nasal quadranopsia of the right eye was remained. This case illustrates that optic canal decompression could bring about a remarkable effect for certain cases.
