Purpose

The position of the globe within the orbit may vary with body posture. Understanding these changes is important for orbital assessment and surgical planning. We investigated positional changes of the globe between seated and supine positions using seated cone-beam CT (CBCT) and conventional supine CT.

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Methods

This retrospective study included patients who underwent both seated orbital CBCT and supine CT within 6 months. Using the supine position as reference, we evaluated anteroposterior displacement on axial images and superoinferior displacement on sagittal images in the seated position. Axial displacement was defined as the distance from the posterior globe to the interzygomatic line. Sagittal displacement was assessed as the shortest distance between the globe and the superior or inferior orbital wall. Associations with age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated.

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Results

Seventy-four orbits from 29 male and 45 female patients (mean age, 63.3 ± 17.7 years) were analyzed. Compared with the supine position, the globe moved 0.52 ± 0.60 mm anteriorly in the seated position. The distance between the globe and inferior orbital wall decreased by 0.66 ± 0.51 mm, whereas the distance to the superior orbital wall increased by 0.56 ± 0.50 mm (all p < 0.01), indicating anteroinferior displacement. Anterior displacement negatively correlated with BMI, whereas inferior displacement positively correlated with age. Multivariate regression identified age as an independent factor associated with inferior displacement.

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Conclusion

The globe shifts anteroinferiorly when transitioning from the supine to seated position. Higher BMI was associated with smaller anterior displacement, whereas older age was associated with greater inferior displacement.

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Additional Authors

First name	Last name	Base Hospital / Institution
Tomoyuki	Kamao	Ehime University
Hirohito Iimori	Iimori	Ehime University
Arisa	Mitani	Ehime University
Nami	Okushima	Ehime University
Keiko	Kunimi	Kanagawa Dental University
Toshiaki	Goseki	International University of Health and Welfare
Atsushi	Shiraishi	Ehime University

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