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Self‐induced orbital emphysema as a presenting sign of munchausen's syndrome
Author(s) -
Winans James M.,
House Leland R.,
Robinson Harrell E.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-198309000-00017
Subject(s) - munchausen syndrome , differential diagnosis , medicine , factitious disorder , orbit (dynamics) , blindness , malingering , sign (mathematics) , surgery , pediatrics , psychiatry , poison control , medical emergency , child abuse , injury prevention , optometry , pathology , engineering , aerospace engineering , mathematical analysis , mathematics
A bizarre case of severe, debilitating pneumo‐orbit resulting in proptosis, blindness, and eventual exenteration of the right eye and threatening the same fate for the left eye was worked up painstakingly for over 10 years before a final diagnosis of Munchausen's syndrome was uncovered. Five days after the diagnosis was made and appropriate management was instituted the severely proptotic left eye had returned to normal and the patient was discharged for out‐patient psychiatric follow‐up. A discussion of the differential diagnosis of pneumo‐orbit is presented and Munchausen's syndrome, the final diagnosis in this case, is discussed from both an historical and psychiatric perspective.