DEEP BACTERIAL TISSUE INFECTIONS Pe

DEEP BACTERIAL TISSUE INFECTIONS Periorbital and Orbital Cellulitis The orbital septum is a fibrous tissue that arises from the periosteum of the skull and continues into the eyelids. This anatomic landmark serves as a barrier to prevent superficial infections from penetrating deep into the orbit. Infections occurring in the soft tissue anterior to the septum are called periorbital cellulitis (PC), whereas those occurring posterior to the septum considered orbital cellulitis (OC). Periorbital cellulitis is a disease that occurs in young children, particularly those younger than 5 years. Males and females equally affected. In comparison, OC is only one-third as common as PC and tends to affect children 5 -7 years of age (References64-70). Epidemiologic studies of OC describe a 2:1 male predominance (References 66, 68,70,71). Because of its association with upper respiratory tract infections, OC tends to occur more frequent1y in the winter (Referenc 66, 71).