In children, the most frequent source of infection in bacterial orbital cellulitis is:

• A Maxillary sinusitis
• B Ethmoid sinusitis ✓
• C Frontal sinusitis
• D Sphenoid sinusitis

Explanation

The ethmoid air cells are separated from the orbit by the lamina papyracea, a paper thin plate of the ethmoid bone forming the medial orbital wall. Infection breaches this barrier easily in children, making ethmoid sinusitis the leading source of orbital cellulitis in this age group. The frontal sinus is typically not pneumatised until late childhood, limiting it as a paediatric source.

Reference: Kanski's Clinical Ophthalmology, 9th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.