clinical manifestations of pediatric patients with preseptal and orbital cellulitis in chongqing(Western China)

Background: To characterize the clinical manifestations of pediatric patients with preseptal and orbital cellulitis in chongqing(Western China). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 82 pediatric patients over a 10-years period (January 2012 to December 2022) was conducted. Results: 57 patients with preseptal and 25 with orbital cellulitis were included.Sinusitis was the main cause of both groups, followed by upper respiratory tract infections. The orbital cellulitis group was more likely to cause severe consequences such as eye fixation, eye protrusion, and vision impairment. Upon admission, the white blood cell count and [(21.40±5.30)×10^9/L] and C-reactive protein level [(58.10±32.54) mg/L] in the orbital cellulitis group were higher than those in the preseptal cellulitis group [(15.45±7.64)×10^9/L, (20.55±11.30) mg/L] (P<0.001).The orbital cellulitis group had a longer duration of antibiotic treatment [(10.05±1.94) d vs. (9.26±1.17) d, P<0.05] and a longer hospital stay [(9.04±1.37) d vs. (8.10±1.29) d, P<0.001]; regarding the use of hormone therapy and the occurrence of complications.The orbital cellulitis group (32%, 40%) was more likely to develop complications compared to the pre-septal group (3.5%, 5.3%) (P<0.01). All 82 patients were clinically cured.The incidence of complications in the orbital cellulitis group (40%) was significantly higher than that in the pre-septal cellulitis group (5.3%) (P<0.001). Complications gradually improved after the cured patients were discharged, and no recurrence of orbital cellulitis was observed during the 12-week follow-up. Conclusion: Patients in the orbital cellulitis group had more severe infections and complications. WBC and CRP can be used as indicators to assess infection severity. Topical and systemic antibiotics, combined with surgery if necessary, can effectively cure preseptal and orbital cellulitis.