Inferior rectus muscle transection: a cause of diplopia after non-penetrating orbital trauma.

BACKGROUND:

Vertical diplopia after blow out fracture repair is not uncommon; we report an unusual case of inferior rectus muscle (IR) transection presenting as a persistent infra-duction deficit after uncomplicated blow out fracture repair.

METHODS:

We used multi-positional MRI to diagnose a transected IR with a contracted and posteriorly displaced muscle belly.

RESULTS:

Infra-duction improved after surgical repair of the transected IR.

CONCLUSION:

Multipositional MRI is a novel technology that can be used to assist in the decisive management of persistent post-operative infra-duction deficits and avoid prolonged periods of observation.